Aston Lukoye
Youth from Kisii County are set to receive technical vocational skills training from the KCB Foundation, following the signing of a partnership agreement between the foundation and the county.
Under the partnership KCB Foundation will match the county government’s KSHs. 25 million investment towards youth technical skills and job creation, on a ratio of 1:1, bringing to the total cumulative investment to KSHs. 50 million.
This is part of KCB Foundation’s efforts in catalysing economic growth by tackling youth unemployment at grassroots levels by supporting the creation of micro, small and medium enterprises through youth vocational skills training.
Speaking during the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing, KCB Foundation Director Mendi Njonjo noted that advancing the economic agenda for the youth is a key focus for KCB Group, to enhance development by leveraging on small and medium enterprise development to spur job creation.
She added that “As KCB Foundation, we pride ourselves in our flagship programme – 2Jiajiri – which seeks to formalize the informal job sector to make it appealing to the youth and spur socio-economic development from county level. We will also provide acess to capital, capacity-building and mentorship through our Business Development arm to empower the enterprise owners and managers to run their businesesses succesfully.”
On his part, Kisii County Governor Simba Arati said: “I am committed to the progress of Kisii county and the promises I made to my electorates. I am particularly happy that through this approach, we’re not only empowering the youth with technical skills, but as a result, we’re catalysing the economic prospects of our MSMEs through strategic training and acess to capital, to ensure they thrive.”
“At a grassroot level, the role of MSMEs cannot be overlooked, because they spur the economy, provide jobs for our people and attract investment. My goal is to empowet our people and give Kisii county the competitive advantage necessary to thrive” he added.
The youth will be trained under KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri programme, which seeks to upskill unemployed and out-of-school youth to gain technical skills and create their employment in the job market. The training will take place at National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) certified technical instutions for certification purposes. Through 2Jiajiri, they will also receive entrepreneurial and financial management skills training as well as startup, working capital and asset financing for the businesses that they set up.
The county government will create opportunities for industrial attachments and on-the-job internships as well as facilitate employment opportunities through direct engagement and partnerships with both public and private sectors, to ensure that trained youth can seamlessly transition into the workforce.
KCB Foundation, which implements KCB Bank Group’s Corporate Social Investment programmes, was launched in 2007 with the mandate of promoting sustainable development to alleviate poverty and enhance the well-being of its communities. The Foundation achieves this through strategic partnerships as well as its diverse programmes. These include 2Jijiari, Education programme, and Sustainable Agriculture programmes.
