By James Wakahiu
Mount Kenya University (MKU) has partnered with a German institution to offer a training programme and apprenticeship pact where it is seeking to tap into the growing demand of health workers in Germany.
The announcement came after the varsity Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Deogratius Jaganyi and senior officials held talks with their counterparts from Hochschule Koblenz University when they visited the main campus in Thika recently.
The German delegation included Vice Dean of the Faculty of Business Prof Christian Lebrenz and the Institute of Social Sciences Research and Continuing Education Managing Director Prof Stephan Bundschuh.
Hochschule Koblenz University of Applied Sciences is the lead partner in the deal set to train Kenyan youth to become health care assistants in Europe.
The Certificate in Health Care Assistant for German Hospitals Training will be implemented through an MKU affiliate, Equip Africa Institute through a two-semester course and thereafter release the students to German hospitals for apprenticeship and subsequent job placement.
The programme is expected to start in January 2023 and the apprenticeship later in September. The programme will be offered at MKU’s main campus in Thika town as well as in the Mombasa campus.
The course will take two semesters of 14 weeks each and upon completion, the graduates will be offered guaranteed nursing apprenticeship in partner German hospitals.
“Students will be provided with career opportunities in German hospitals. The University is also offering Germany language Levels A1, A2, B1 and B2,” said Prof Jaganyi.
Candidates will be selected based on High School Grades (equivalent to Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) C+ (plus) and proficiency in German Language Skills in addition to an aptitude test. However, KCSE qualifications below KCSE C+ (Plus) will be considered based on German language proficiency.
“Students will enjoy the benefit of getting a student visa, salary and will be provided with excellent job opportunities for full-time employment after completing their training,” said the VC.
For the training in Germany, students will not charged any tuition fee but will be entitled to get a working contract for the training with a monthly salary to cater for their basic needs and accommodation.
During the preparation in Kenya and training in Germany, the African Nurses/Pfleger and AG-Career Hub in Germany will support the students to successfully integrate into the training and working environment in German hospitals as well as organize the mentors and colleagues in Germany to accompany them during their stay.
“Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, students will be offered career opportunities for full-time employment in German hospitals exposing them to extensive further specialized training opportunities among other benefits,” he added.
MKU is now offering German language classes at the main campus, Thika, Mombasa and Nakuru Campuses.
The MKU-Hochschule Koblenz University partnership aims at bridging a shortfall in the number of healthcare workers in Germany, in which many people in the profession retire without enough people to replace them.
The opportunities are a result of groundwork done by a research consortium formed in February this year to look into how to resolve healthcare challenges while creating opportunities for healthcare workers in Africa.
The research consortium comprises of Hochschule Koblenz as the project lead, AG Career Hub (a consultancy offering information on career and business opportunities in Germany and Africa) and African Nurses/Pfleger in Germany (a network with more than 2,000 African Healthcare practitioners in Germany).
“Due to its aging population, Germany is facing a significant shortfall of healthcare practitioners in the coming years. Various studies estimate a deficit of between 400,000 and 600,000 vacancies by 2030,” the research consortium noted.
