The pioneer class of the Bridge IT Academy hosted by the Nairobi Industrial Training Authority (NITA) Centre is scheduled to graduate tomorrow from 9.00 am at NITA, Nairobi under the theme ‘Skills with the Future of Work Outlook’.
The event, which will be graced by the Ministry of Labour, Cabinet Secretary, Simon Chelugui, as the Chief Guest, will see the successfully trained and certified 37 students graduate after they all passed their international CISCO Exams.
According to a press statement sent to news rooms, the entire cohort has been absorbed by Safaricom PLC as interns.
“Launched in Nairobi in March 2021, the Academy equips trainees with a strong career foundation in IT at a time when these skills are in high demand and the world of work is increasingly digital,” read the statement.
The Bridge IT Academy, the statement continued, is supporting a consortium partnership project aimed at addressing the IT skills gap and transforming the lives of People with Disabilities through internships and employment.
Further, the Academy is assisting in breaking down barriers of discrimination for People with Disabilities and equipping them with the skills they need followed by practical experience.
Additionally, the Academy’s program provides training and certification as CISCO Certified Technicians (CCT) and Cisco Certified Network Associates in Security (CCNA Security).
At the same time, NITA has collaborated with a consortium of partners led by Sightsavers International, the Deutsche Gesellchaft for Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) to skill beneficiary youth with disability on an ICT based program in collaboration with CISCO.
This partnership comes in the wake of NITA’s mission to provide quality industrial training for enhanced productivity.
“Towards fulfilling its mission, NITA under Section 7C of the Industrial Training (Amendment) Act 2011, has been granted the mandate to facilitate Industrial Training through partnerships aimed at driving the Transformation Agenda of the Authority as part of the wider efforts at fully realizing the Authority’s mandate and meeting the Government’s Big Four Agenda,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Bridge IT Academy in Kenya is funded by donor partners such as the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and NORAD and is implemented by Inclusive Futures and GIZ.
By Michael Omondi
