Nakuru County government, in partnership with Generation Kenya, has launched a pilot programme seeking to hook up more than 4,000 youth to online jobs.
County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education, ICT, e-Government, and Public Communication Ms. Zipporah Ngugi said through her Department, the county had launched a training programme to empower youth on how to find and earn a living online, with 500 youth with a background in Information Technology (IT) being trained on how to find online jobs and monetise access to the Internet courtesy of the partnership.
Ms. Ngugi indicated that the online platform training was expected to open up the youth’s minds for jobs in scholarly writing, digital freelancing, proposal writing, e-marketing and blogging.
Speaking when she signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Generation Kenya to facilitate the initiative, the CECM indicated that the training was aimed at providing youth with alternative sources of income and creating platforms of entrepreneurship.
According to Ms. Ngugi, the 12-week course will encompass an Artificial Intelligence (AI) module and afterwards, the trainees will be connected with digital agents for two weeks to start earning while continuing to improve their skills.
“The bulk of online work is created by companies based in the largest economies of the world, but most of the work is completed by people living in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe,” noted the CECM.
The initiative, she explained, aligns with Governor Susan Kihika’s commitment to Public-Private partnerships that is aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of Nakuru residents through equipping youth with the skills to access online work and earn a decent living.
While indicating that the partnership was also aimed at supporting the national government’s initiative of creating one million online jobs, Ms. Ngugi disclosed that the young people would also learn new digital skills in data entry and management, transcription and academic writing, among other courses, to enable them to take advantage of digital opportunities.
She urged the youth to embrace online jobs under the Ajira Digital Programme aimed at addressing high unemployment by offering alternatives to white-collar jobs.
Chief Executive Officer of Generation Kenya, Ms. Corrie Ngurukie, said the training was aimed at promoting new and flexible forms of employment, such as micro-work and online contracting, to create employment and grow the economy.
Ms. Ngurukie affirmed that concerted efforts were being made to change the perception of online work to make it acceptable as formal employment that provides decent income.
She added that promoting digital literacy among women would also prevent, address and respond to online cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and abuse of children in the country.
The CEO observed that there were thousands of job opportunities on the online platform and encouraged unemployed graduates to apply, adding that the future of work and the country’s economy lay in ICT.
Kenya’s Internet penetration rate is about 85.3 per cent, according to the regulator Communications Authority of Kenya, which is higher compared with the 28.7 per cent for the continent as a whole.
The Ajira Digital Programme is a project of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, in partnership with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), aimed at positioning Kenya as a choice labour destination for multinational companies.
It also encourages local companies and the public sector to create digital work opportunities for young people.
A recent report indicated that the programme has created over 1.5 million jobs since its inception.
By Esther Mwangi and Brian Kiplimo
