Engineering courses are ranked among the most marketable in Kenya according to The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) cluster points.
The courses are also in demand, with only a few institutions offering them. Engineering students shared how they were frustrated after graduation despite the two factors.
Some graduates revealed that they had resorted to construction work (mjengo) while others had to return to school to pursue new courses.
“My brother graduated in 2016, and he is now 32 years old and is yet to get a job,” one tweep remarked in a thread by one creative, Kimuzi.
In support, another social media user remarked, “I graduated in 2017 but after years of tarmacking, I decided to go back to the university for another degree. I am still unemployed and have resorted to opening a kiosk.”
Some graduates revealed that instead of waiting for formal employment, they had decided to stay in the construction industry, albeit as casual labourers.
“I was lucky to get a building foreman who gave me a job in mjengo and it has been my source of income since graduation,” an engineering graduate stated.
Nonetheless, a few graduates were lucky to have landed opportunities.
Bitota Joe sharing his success story, noted, “I graduated in 2016 and tarmacked for seven years. I was almost giving up on aeronautical engineering when I got a job this year.”
Kenyans.co.ke earlier spoke to educational expert Dr Caroline Kokeyo on marketable courses in Kenya. Kokeyo advised students to be strategic while hunting for jobs.
“With the current job market, students should not rush to enrol for courses to get formal employment upon graduation.
“What makes a course marketable is the ability to be flexible and venture into self-employment,” she advised university students.
She explained that students in engineering and other practical courses should embrace self-employment due to limited job opportunities in the formal sector.
“If you are taking practical courses like electrical engineering or nursing, you should be able to easily start your own venture a few months after graduation,” she noted.
According to KUCCPS, most students opt for civil engineering when applying for their undergraduate courses.
Kenyans.co.ke compiled a list of universities offering the courses and the annual tuition fee charged.
