12 Kenyan universities and over 10 companies in financial, manufacturing and transport sectors converged in a forum at Mount Kenya University (MKU) to exchange ideas on how academia and industry can come together in training to impart employability skills on students.
The two-day event which was themed “Synergizing Skills: Bridging Academia and Industry for Career Excellence”, took place at Mwai Kibaki Convention Centre, MKU Thika Main Campus and was supported by DAAD through the African Centre for Career Enhancement & Skills Support (ACCESS).
The participants were from Karatina University, Kabarak University, Kenyatta University, Riara University, Daystar University, Technical University of Kenya, KCA University, Zetech University, Machakos University, Technical University of Kenya, Riara University, as well The Luke Hotel, Thika, Equity Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank, Magfre Ltd, BIC East Africa, and HACO Industries.
Simon Gitau, Super Metro Thika Road Operation Manager, welcomed the initiative and said that students always think that the transport industry entails the buses they see on the road, but there is a lot more in terms of human resource management and technology development.
Another participant, Trizah Wainaina, a customer service manager at Equity Bank, embraced the service learning concept, and also suggested incorporating service etiquette training in university curricula.
Ever since MKU joined the ACCESS programme, it has been able to host academia and business breakfast meetings with an aim of identifying the skills that they hire so as to equip the students with the said skills.
The ACCESS programme supports students’ career enhancement, research activities, university-business linkages and service learning. Through the discussions, the representatives engaged in deep discussions on how they can use technology to develop students’ skills.
“We urge the universities and industries to come together and help each other to develop and review curricula with an aim of meeting the market demand,” Dr Henry Yatich, ACCESS MKU Coordinator, said.
By James Wakahiu
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