Varsity enters deal to train learners on employability

Zetech University has entered into a partnership with the African Centre for Women, Information and Communications Technology (ACWICT), to enhance employability among the youth in the country, and address the skills mismatch between graduates and the labour market expectations. The agreement is centred on the Future makers programme launched by Standard Chartered Bank designed to empower students from five universities in the Country with work readiness skills and entrepreneurship training required for today’s competitive market.
According to a report by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in December 2020, nearly 1.18 million young unemployed Kenyans had given up the search for a job in the third quarter of the year, following frustrations associated with the job search.

In response to these challenges and to boost confidence among the youth, the University will collaborate with the ICT firm to train thousands of students on work readiness, focusing on equipping them with soft skills that will cause them to attract and retain employment. The move will also see the partners reach out to public and private sectors to secure linkages, internships, apprenticeship and job shadowing opportunities in various industries for the beneficiaries.

Zetech University Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, Research, Extension and Student Affairs Dr. Alice Njuguna, underlined the University’s commitment to imparting students with the values of teamwork, customer focus and industry excellence even as they study, to adequately prepare them for the market. “Our role goes beyond just equipping students with technical skills; we have a mandate to reach out and collaborate with partners such as ACWICT to provide additional training to support us in effectively preparing our learners for a competitive labour market.” She said, adding that Zetech is honoured to be among the five selected universities in Kenya chosen to be part of the program.

On her part, ACWICT Chief Executive Constatine Obuya challenged the higher education sector to collaborate with organisations to ease the transition to employment, noting that soft skills such as communication, negotiation, leadership, among other additional aspects employers are seeking, are still a challenge among job seekers. “We are proud to partner with Zetech in this venture and prepare a capable workforce for the country. Give that universities release a high number of workers, we are confident that this project will yield positive results for the students, the universities and the employers.” She said.

The programme has already kicked off the onboarding of students, with a special focus on ensuring students with disabilities enroll and learn critical entrepreneurial and employability skills; this will be supported by Light of the World, an international disability forum and implementing partner of the timely program.
The University remains committed to collaborations in the areas of research, academics, student engagement, sports and community service to ensure students have an enriched campus experience.