Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, on Thursday, lauded the Jitume ICT Labs as one of the best government initiatives empowering the youth with relevant digital skills and creating well-paying jobs.
Speaking during the release of the March/July TVET assessment tests in Gigiri, the CS recognised the challenge of unemployment in the country and the importance of developing well-thought solutions to mitigate the issue.
"One of the major challenges we have as a country is the unemployment of our youths. And the President has made it very clear that we have to come up with intentional, deliberate, and practical steps to mitigate this particular problem. One such method that we are using is Jitume Labs," the CS stated
According to Machogu, training provided via Jitume Labs offers necessary skills to students in various institutions, such as the Kabete Technical Training Institute, securing them jobs later on.
"Employment from companies in America and Europe can now be accessed. Our youths who have gained the technical skills and competencies in this area are already earning dollars. There are some who are earning as much as Ksh200,000," he added.
Machogu also emphasised the government's dedication to promoting and improving TVET training in the country to help curb the menace of unemployment.
"The government has been able to allocate Ksh120 million this financial year to Kenya School of TVET in order for us to create capacity and give necessary training. One such necessary training is on Jitume Labs for these young people to access these foreign online jobs," Machogu reiterated.
According to the Ministry of Education statistics, over 50% of the 285,167 2023/2024 KUCCPS placements were placed in TVET Institutions. About 9,000 trainees who had qualified for university placement also decided to join TVET institutions.
"Technical and Vocational Education and Training is equipping our youth with the necessary skills and knowledge to drive the modern workforce. It is through TVET that we breach the gap between education and the industry ensuring that our graduates are well prepared to meet the demands of the job market," he added.
Machogu also reiterated the importance of teaching entrepreneurial skills and dual training in technical education, where both theories and practicals are included for international recognition to expand the job market.
"My friend here from Jua Kali is a boss. I am an employee. As we are training these people, we need to inculcate entrepreneurial skills telling them not only to be employees but also as job creators and employers."
In his speech, Machogu also lauded the new model of education funding, which he stated worked based on the level of need of those accessing the funding. He expressed his belief that the new model would address the challenges faced in education funding.
The Jitume Labs program is being implemented by the Ministry of ICT, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, and Ministry of Labour led by Konza Technopolis, ICT Authority, and TVET Authority.
