Technical, vocational training seen as key to addressing unemployment : The Standard

Uptake of technical and vocational training will be important in solving unemployment in Kisumu County. This emerged last week during a meeting held in Kisumu where the County Executive Committee Member for education Obiero Ogone received the Kisumu County Intergrated Youth Development Plan (CIYPD). The plan stresses the need for equipping young people with economically viable skills. The document is the culmination of a two-year process that began with research under the auspices of the Ecumenical Centre for Justice and Peace (ECJP). “Our job was to coordinate different stakeholders – the national and county governments included – to ensure that we develop a plan that would have impact when implemented,” said Ruth Masime, the executive director of ECJP.

SEE ALSO:How your small branding outfit can stand out

Masime said technical and vocational training offers young people quicker job opportunities. “TVET graduates have skills that immediately get applied in the economy: carpenters, vehicle repair technicians, plumbers, masons and so on,” she said. A February 2019 report titled ‘Labour market and business opportunity’ by World Vision found that youth unemployment (for those aged 15 to 35) rate in Kisumu County is alarmingly high at 61 per cent. Even more alarming was the report’s conclusion that 92 per cent of the unemployed youth in the county lacked vocational or professional skills demanded by the job market.

For More of This and Other Stories, Grab Your Copy of the Standard Newspaper.

Not possessing the skills to earn one employment limits a young person’s ability to progress economically, said Joel Owiti, a youth from Nyakach. “I have friends who can only delve into fishing or farming. Even so, the way they go about it is not skilled. Such a person has very limited options to work with,” Owiti said.

SEE ALSO:Why your dream is in your hands

Naturally, he said, young people who are struggling to earn a living eventually get involved with gangs, drugs and crime. Dr Ogone acknowledged the need to develop and enact youth-centric policies and give the young options that offer them economic progress. He said more civil education with the youth would help them effectively tap into the opportunities made available by the national and county governments. He said he would present the document and work with stakeholders to see it implemented into law for it to draw budgetary allocation and hence become effective.  

SEE ALSO:How to be a happy millionaire

We are undertaking a survey to help us improve our content for you. This will only take 1 minute of your time, please give us your feedback by clicking HERE. All responses will be confidential.

Related Topics

JobsTVETUnemploymentDr Pesa