Ministry of education launches national talent training programme

The Ministry of Education has embarked on a national talent training programme aimed at enabling the youth to commercialize their talents.

The programme initiated by the Department for Post-Training and skills development will help identify, develop, create business and protect that talent.

Under the pilot programme, one youth has been identified per county with plans to increase the numbers in the coming financial year.

This emerged when the first group of the talented youths started their one week training in Burches Hotel in Naivasha.

According to the Education Secretary Dr Wanjiru Kariuki, the country had high but untapped talent among the youths and hence the current intervention measures.

Wanjiru said that the main objective of the programme was to turn the group from job seekers to job creators noting that this was achievable.

“Unemployment remains one of the biggest challenges in this country and this programme will help in empowering the youths to be job creators,” she said.

She said that apart from identifying their talents, the department would help the youths in branding and marketing their talents.

“In the first phase of this programme, we have identified top talents in every county and we are keen to mentor this group before seeking more youths in the next financial year,” she said.

Addressing the press at the sidelines of the meeting, the education secretary admitted that the formal sector was not offering many job opportunities like in the past.

She added that under the programme, they would link up the youths with mentors, financiers and markets as a way of empowering them.

The youths would also be trained on the issue of patenting and commercialization adding that this would help in improving their livelihoods.

“Once these champions of the counties are through with this training, we expect them to develop their talents and become employers in future,” she said.

On his part, the director of Technical Education Dr Meshack Opwora admitted that unemployment was a major challenge in the country affecting thousands of youths.

He said that they expected the national talent programme to chip in and address this as the ministry planned to in future engage more youths at the sub-county level.

“We have provided mentors to speak to this group and the department is keen on turning those youths with untapped talent into future entrepreneurs who will offer job opportunities,” he said.