Nyeri County Public Service Board is seeking to hire 200 graduates who will work as interns in 11 County departments for the next one year.
In an advertisement on the county’s website, the board is seeking to fill positions, which fell vacant in September this year after some 199 graduated from the fifth cohort of the Nyeri County Government Internship programme.
According to the advert, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Public Works and Transport have each been allocated the largest number of slots at 23.
The Departments of Education and that of Health Services will each get 22 interns, while the Departments of Environment and Sports will each get 20 interns.
The remaining slots have been split between the Departments of Finance (17), Public Service Management (10), Solid Waste Management (10), Tourism (9) and the Office of the Governor (5).
The Board has asked interested applicants to download and fill the application form from the Nyeri County Government website, www.nyeri.go.ke.
“The opportunity is available to candidates who graduated and possess Degree, Diploma and /or Certificates from the year 2021 to date. All applications hand delivered or through the post should be received on or before December 20, 2024 at 5 pm,” reads the advert.
The annual programme was launched in 2017 by the County governor Mutahi Kahiga after formulating the Internship Policy.
During the launch, Kahiga termed youth unemployment as a ticking time bomb that needed to be urgently addressed.
He stated that the county will partner with big companies operating in Nyeri to provide more internship opportunities to graduates, adding that in addition to bringing in resources, companies should impart knowledge and experience to the fresh graduates.
“The programme seeks to eradicate unemployment through provision of skills and experiences for fresh graduates, so as to prepare them to take up responsibilities in the competitive labour market,” he Kahiga.
Since the launch of the programme, the county government has been setting aside Sh24 million annually to pay stipends to the 200 beneficiaries.
Degree holders receive Sh12, 000 monthly stipend, diploma holders get Sh11,000 while certificate holders take home Sh10, 000.
In September during the farewell ceremony for the Fifth cohort, Kahiga noted that the program has achieved its primary objective of providing opportunities for youth empowerment and skills development.
During the occasion 148 interns received certificates and recommendation letters. It also emerged that 20 interns were hired by the County Government, while another 23 secured employment in the private sector.
Kahiga said throughout their internship period, the interns had gained work experience by working closely with their supervisors and were accorded opportunity to engage in projects.
He also assured them that they will be considered in future job openings, since they already have been equipped with the requisite skills.
“The County Government has endeavored to build the capacity of the interns through training, where they were taken through engagement forums on cross-cutting issues, including Devolved Government Structure and County Government Act, National values and Principles and Public Ethics & Code of Conduct, Drug and Substance Abuse at the workplace, Human Resource Policies and procedures Manual 2016 and Signing of the code of conduct.
The diverse range of activities provides the interns with a well-rounded experience, preparing them for future career opportunities in both public and private sectors,” stated the governor.
By Wangari Mwangi
