Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime on Thursday flagged off the fifth cohort of 150 youth for the Sewing Machine Operator’s Course aimed at bridging the unemployment gap and alleviating poverty in the county.
A total of 150 students are set to benefit from the two-month training programme in Kikambala, Kilifi county.
While addressing the youth, Mwadime assured them of his support, reiterating his commitment to strengthen partnerships with both public and private entities to enable the youth to get hands-on skills that will enable them to earn a living through self-employment.
“We are doing this because we want to change our county. Even if you have a degree in whatever course, it doesn’t matter. I encourage all the youth to back it up with a skill. Get even if it’s a certificate in plumbing, electrical connection or masonry,” he said.
He noted that once they complete their training, the graduates will be awarded certificates and linked directly to industries for job placements.
Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo advised the trainees to take advantage of the programme and gain technical and soft skills which will help them to earn a living.
“The county’s investments in youth are vital to our agenda of promoting self-reliance and resilience among our youths as well as to the goals of the nation on stability and prosperity,” she said
The county CEC for Trade, Tourism, Industrialisation and Cooperatives Development echoed Kilalo’s sentiments and urged the trainees to uphold discipline throughout the training period to meet their goals.
“The apparel industry has created mass opportunities for the youth and cushioned them from joblessness which most times pushes them to engage in vices and waste away their lives,” said Shuwe.
Speaking to the students at Mwembeni Technical Training Institute in Kikambala, she noted that over 450 youth have completed the training and secured job opportunities in different cloth-making Export Processing Zones in the Coast region.
“We call upon investors in different sectors to venture into the county. Our proximity with the Mombasa port, the SGR, human capital, land, the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and our closeness to Tanzania makes us an ideal location for industrial investment,” she said..
Generation Kenya Coast region leader Allan Wanjala noted that they have already lined up employers who will interview the trainees for jobs upon completion and will also provide the trainees with mentorship to guide them through the programme and beyond.
Wanjala added that they are ready to pilot a digital freelance programme where youth will be trained and start earning from online jobs.
He noted that the Generation Kenya programme works closely with the government and TVETs to equip youth with marketable skills, adding that since 2015, the programme has placed 84 percent of 13,000 graduates into meaningful employment through a network of more than 350 employer partners across the country.
By Michael Oduor | oduormichael2021@gmail.com
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