NAIROBI, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Education and Industry partners on Thursday launched an apprenticeship program to be domiciled in all institutions of higher learning to enable youth to acquire skills relevant to the 21st century job market.
Amina Mohamed, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, said the launch of office of career services at universities and mid-level colleges aims to boost employability and business acumen among the country's youth.
"The office of career services that will be established in all public universities and technical training colleges by the end of this year will link students with industry where they can acquire practical skills required by employers," Mohamed said.
She noted that Kenya has borrowed international best practices to launch an apprenticeship program for university students to help tackle an unemployment crisis that is a drawback to economic growth and stability.
"We hope to address skills mismatch that have worsened the unemployment challenge in the country through a robust placement and internship program for university students," said Mohamed.
"This apprenticeship program will also prepare learners for self-employment as the share of jobs in the formal economy shrinks," she added.
Government statistics indicate that 1 million Kenyan youth enter the job market annually while only one fifth secure gainful employment in either the public or private sectors.
Mohamed said curriculum reforms coupled with robust academia-industry linkages will help minimize high rate of joblessness in Kenya.
Japheth Ntiba, the Principal Secretary in the State Department of Higher Education, said that a structured internship and placement program will forge healthy interactions between learners and potential employers.
"Both local and foreign employers will be able to recruit highly trained personnel through the office of career services in universities and colleges," said Ntiba.
