KCB Foundation and the Germany Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) have rolled out a Ksh.300 million program to equip 1750 youth from Bunyala Sub County Busia County with building and construction skills.
The beneficiaries of the partnership will undertake a three to six-month training at Bunyala Technical Training and Vocational Institute (TTVI) through KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri programme which was launched in 2016 targeting youth and small businesses and seeks to formalize the informal sector and create skills for self-employment.
Speaking during the unveiling of the first batch of 100 beneficiaries KCB Foundation Chief of Party Caroline Kihara said the program aims to equip the youth with skills, that can transform their lives and those of their families.
“Under the program, they will also acquire knowledge on how they can undertake their own businesses and promote themselves. It also has a tool kit element where the beneficiaries are given the necessary equipment, they require to undertake the kind of jobs they have trained in,” Kihara explained.
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The Ksh.300 million will also be spent on seed capital and on tool kits in addition to training with 700 of the beneficiaries expected to receive toolkits at the end of the training.
Four hundred (400) others will receive seed capital to initiate their own businesses to create self-employment opportunities and employ other jobless youths.
“We have so many unemployed youths and most of them cannot access white collar jobs. My appeal is therefore that they should seize the opportunity wholeheartedly as it is aimed at combating unemployment which is currently a big challenge for the country,” urged Kihara.
On his part, Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong who graced the event , appealed to the beneficiaries to make use of the program rather than wait for white collar jobs that are not forthcoming adding that the program will benefit the youth and the Busia community at large.
“Under the 2jiajiri program you will also be getting some allowance as you train among many other good things. I hope the program will work for the benefit of the people of Busia County,” Ojaamong told the beneficiaries.
Deputy Governor Moses Mulomi termed the opportunity as a game changer in the county in equipping youths with practical skills while offering to support them with equipment and resources to enable them to be self-reliant,.
Bunyala TTVI principal Emmanuel Wamalwa appealed to parents to shift focus from university education to technical and vocational institutions which are offering practical skills.
“This is an era of practical skills and not certificates. If a child scores any grade lower than a C(plus) there is no need for a parent struggling to take him or her for a degree course when they can join the TTVIs and acquire skills that will benefit them in future, “Wamalwa
advised.
The programme focuses on supporting young entrepreneurs by enabling them to gain access to finance, become self-employed and create employment for other young people countrywide.
