Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua recently announced an ambitious initiative in a bid to curb the biting issue of youth unemployment in the country.
The CS on Tuesday announced a four-point initiative to aid in improving youth's chances of getting high-income skill jobs in the country and abroad.
While speaking at the East African Employability Summit at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Mutua announced a 1 million Next Level Initiative - aimed at connecting a million Kenyans with jobs, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities each year.
The former governor also unveiled plans to launch a virtual platform dubbed 'Kenya Skilled Hub' offering youth access to essential information on skills development and work-based learning.
Further, the CS also emphasised on the importance of a National Policy linking industry to education. "This policy is designed to strengthen the alignment between education and the practical demands of the job market," he stated.
Finally, Mutua also rolled out the National Guidelines for Career Guidance and the National Career Guidance Training Manual - a resource meant to help youth navigate their career path and choose jobs where they can thrive.
The CS's latest announcement came barely two days after he expressed frustration over the high failure rate during a recruitment exercise by a Qatari company that sought semi-skilled Kenyans in different positions.
Despite 15,000 Kenyans turning out for interviews with hopes of securing employment overseas, only 5% qualified for the 8000 available slots.
According to the Labour CS, the majority of youth applied for jobs claiming to have skills that they don't actually possess.
During the conference on Tuesday, the Labour CS urged the youth to take up more volunteer roles to sharpen their skills in the job market.
"While the government is fully committed to addressing these challenges, I believe young people must also take charge of their futures. I encourage them to be consistent, persistent, and organized in acquiring the skills that today’s job market demands," he said.
"To those facing the familiar hurdle of inexperience, I advise considering volunteer roles as a way to build a strong CV. Even the act of finding a job requires dedication; after all, finding work is work itself."
