KCB 2jiajiri, in partnership with the County Government of Kisii, has commissioned 1,000 youth from the county to undergo various technical and vocational skills training.
This initiative is part of the KCB Foundation’s 2Jiajiri programme, aiming to empower youth with employable skills.
KCB Foundation and the Kisii County government jointly allocated KSh50 million for this training, which focuses on enhancing skills and promoting employability.
Participants will receive training in sectors including Building and Construction, Manufacturing, Carpentry and Joinery, Electrical Installation, Catering and Hospitality, Automotive Engineering, Domestic Services, Sustainable Agribusiness, Beauty and Personal Care, ICT, and Creative Arts.
During the event, KCB Foundation Head of Programmes Joblin Omari emphasized, “Despite Kenya’s significant progress in addressing the skills gap among its youth, there remains a pressing need for opportunities that serve as a direct pathway to self-employment and entrepreneurship, particularly at grassroots levels in the counties.”
The initiative, designed to improve youth employability in Kisii County, will be executed through Kisii-based National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) certified Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions.
Kisii Governor, Simba Arati stated, “I am proud that through this initiative, we are not only equipping our youth with essential technical skills but also nurturing the economic potential of our micro-enterprises by providing strategic skills in high-demand sectors, access to capital, ensuring their success.”
Upon completion of the training, beneficiaries will receive toolkits to aid their transition into self-employment, offering them the necessary resources tailored to their specific trades or skills.
Since its launch, the 2jiajiri programme has disbursed Sh259 million in loans and issued 918 business startup toolkits nationwide.
So far, 22,959 youth have undergone training through the programme, and 5,594 businesses have been incubated under KCB’s business development services.
