The National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) in Murang’a is slated to sponsor more than 500 young people in the county to acquire vocational skills.
Murang’a County Woman Representative Sabina Chege has asked local youth who are interested to train in various artisan courses to submit their applications by early December this year.
The training which will be undertaken at Michuki Technical Training Institute is scheduled to kick off before the end of December after selection of those who qualify is finalized.
The office of the county woman representative for the last two years has been funding training of youth in short courses with an aim to reduce unemployment among young people in the county.
Last year, the programme was halted after the country was hit by Covid-19 pandemic paralyzing learning in the country.
Speaking to KNA on phone Tuesday, Chege stated that her office is ready to resume the short courses training by end of this year, saying the affirmative fund will pay for full fees and accommodation expenses for those who will be selected for the programme which will run for three months.
The legislator observed that artisan courses including electrical wiring, plumbing, masonry, carpentry, fashion and design, among others will enable the trainees to engage in self-employment after clearing.
“The programme is sponsored by my office in partnership with Michuki Technical Institute. Before it was interrupted, we had trained more than 2,000 young people from the county and luckily a section of them have already started income generating projects.
“There is a shortage of artisans in the country and my appeal to those who cleared Form-four and did not attain required grades to join universities, to consider taking technical courses which are highly marketable,” she further explained.
Chege underscored the need for technical courses observing that the majority of learners opt to pursue degree courses leaving a gap for middle-level technicians.
“With boom in the construction industry, there is demand for artisans like masons, electricians, and plumbers among others but unfortunately these technicians are not always available. After training, NGAAF also supports the graduates with equipment which will help them start working,” she noted.
By Bernard Munyao
