Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi has called upon area residents to enroll in free ICT training at Elias ICT centre to sharpen their skills and apply them to earn a living through online jobs.
Mr Cheboi was speaking during a graduation ceremony at Elias ICT centre in Kabarnet, Baringo central sub-county on Thursday where 123 graduands received their certificates in four categories that included Ajira digital, basic computer packages, advanced ICT, and computer hardware maintenance.
The governor said his administration was committed to partnering with World Best friends-Korea to build a Thinkcentre soon and expand the ICT innovation hubs to the entire county to reach a bigger number of residents hence improving livelihoods.
“This is a great opportunity for every youth within our county, it is a free course full of skills, I, therefore, urge every individual to enroll to acquire different skills from the training that opens doors for self-employment other than waiting for formal employment,” he noted.
The CEC Youth, Gender, E-government, and ICT Maureen Limashep who was present urged the graduates to be good ambassadors of the institution and make use of the acquired skills to come up with innovative ideas that can improve service delivery in the county.
She condemned the use of drugs and substance abuse noting that it had crippled several youths in society rendering them unproductive.
“It’s time for our youths to shun alcohol and drug abuse, we have lost a number of them to the vice, instead they should enroll in the ICT centre and acquire skills and knowledge necessary for a bright future,” Limashep said.
Gideon Tirok, the County ICT Director who was present at the event lauded the efforts of the Governor and World Best Friends-Korea for their collaborative effort in empowering the youth adding that it had trained over 7,000 residents since its inception in 2013.
“This year alone we have managed to train 564 youths in the four categories and we are optimistic that in 2023 we will reach a larger population as we target to train 300 students per intake,” Tirok said.
Tirok thanked the tutors for their commitment towards the achievement of a tech-savvy society and challenged the youths to be innovative as the future depends on technology.
Emmanuel Birir a graduate applauded the initiative by the county government saying he had been pumped with a lot of knowledge and if inculcated, would go a long way in impacting lives and getting a living out of the skills.
Elias ICT centre was established in 2013 in partnership with World Best Friends-Korea and the County government and trains residents across the country on ICT courses free of charge with four intakes every year.
By Caroline Cherono
