The Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the government have teamed up to launch 50,000 internship programs.
The program is a component of the government’s effort to reduce the unemployment gap.
The ‘Kenya Internship and Jobs Initiative’ initiative will provide on-the-job training and skill development to thousands of graduates.
Juma Mukhwana, principal secretary of the State Department for Industry, claimed that learners will be able to compete successfully with their peers around the globe.
“The initiative to be launched later this year will complement the Teachers Service Commission internship program and the Public Service Internship Programme, which have absorbed 4,000 and 25,000 fresh graduates, respectively,” Mukhwana added.
Interested applicants are urged to submit an online application at www.kiji.go.ke, where a number of private sector firms will post positions.
Over 20,000 vacancies have already been advertised on the web, according to Mukhwana.
In addition to getting a monthly stipend, he continued, the interns will also be given the tools they need to successfully compete for positions both locally and internationally.
According to Mukhwana, the government has created a structure to ensure the initiative runs well.
The framework explains what is expected of industrial interns in terms of working conditions, insurance, internship length, and intern compensation.
“The absence of a structure to implement the program was holding us back. We didn’t want our interns to labor in fields where conditions were subpar,” he stated.
“We have observed instances where our graduates failed to perform when given the chance. We must thus make sure that the training we provide is in line with market demands.
He praised the collaboration with the private sector and invited other participants to join forces to reduce the unemployment gap in the nation.
