Thika youth urged to enroll for the sh . 3.6 million ‘MbeleNaBiz’ competition.

Thika Town Constituency has launched a training programme to empower the youth on how to find and earn a living online.

In a programme jointly sponsored by area MP Eng. Patrick Wainaina and Google inc., over 500 youth drawn from various colleges and school leavers were on Saturday equipped with skills on how to use YouTube and other online platforms to do business.

“None of you should sit back and expect to get a job in a world where there are more job seekers than the available opportunities. We want you to think out of the box and be job creators especially now that the internet has created so many opportunities,” the MP told the beneficiaries during the inaugural training at Thika High School.

He added that the training was meant to introduce the young people to online work and provide them with tools, training and mentorship they needed to be able to bid for work and earn a decent income.

He encouraged them to enroll for the “MbeleNaBiz” business plan competition, which is an initiative of the Government of Kenya, under the Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP) where selected businesses will be awarded grants of Ksh 900,000 or Ksh 3,600,000.

The Competition is seeking businesses that are led by the youth, have potential to create jobs, and has potential for growth.

Applications are open from 24 June 2019 to 2 September 2019 via http://mbelenabiz.go.ke/application.php

Wainaina also emphasised that the Thika Biashara Fund will be solely availed to groups interested in generating income and creating employment.

At the same time, the legislator said the constituency NG-CDF kitty has embarked on a programme to establish 'smart-labs' in all public primary schools to expose young learners to use of ICT early in life.

The scheme, which involves installation of computer labs and Wi-Fi, will kick off in a number of schools and eventually reach all the schools under that category.