President William Ruto on Friday, March 31, revealed that the Public Service Commission (PSC) would recruit 20,000 interns in the next cohort.
Ruto made the announcement during the Public Service Commission launch of the Values and Principles Compliance Report in Nairobi.
He stated that the move was informed by the fact that many applicants were left out in the current cohort that is completing its internship.
In addition, the Head of State noted that it was important for youth who were exiting university to find opportunities to have a work experience in public service.
The number is an increase from 3,900 individuals who were part of the cohort out of 31,000 applicants.
“I want to announce that the first step is that we have today 3,900 interns. For the next intake next year, I will suggest that we start with 20,000 because I am told that those who applied were 31,000 and only 3,900 had an opportunity not to get a job but to just have a feel of what government public service looks like,” Ruto stated.
The Head of State added that the government would issue tax reliefs to private companies that partner with the PSC to offer internships to students from public universities.
“I think more young people should be afforded an opportunity to be an intern. I will be proposing that we work with the private sector so that private companies can work with us on this internship programme.
“We are going to provide tax incentives for private companies that will partner with us to afford an internship opportunity for the many young people graduating from our institutions of higher learning so that we can not only provide a transition for them but also give them an opportunity to practice what they have learnt,” he added.
PSC announces paid internship opportunities every year under the Public service Internship Programme (PSIP). The programme runs for twelve months.
The latest announcement was made on February 22 for cohort V.
"The Public Service Internship Programme (PSIP) is a government initiative designed to offer opportunities for graduates to acquire and develop valuable technical and professional skills as well as work experience in the Public Service," PSC stated during the announcement.
