University and college graduates have been encouraged to apply the knowledge and skills they acquire in higher education to grow the country’s economy.
Prof Owen Ngumi, a Zetech University don, expressed concern about the high migration of skilled and innovative graduates to foreign countries, who often travel abroad in search of greener pastures.
Prof Ngumi, who doubles as the University’s Dean of the School of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, said that the export of young, skilled and knowledgeable Kenyan graduates to work in foreign countries is denying the country a workforce capable of transforming its economy.
He spoke at the sidelines of the university’s Career Fair, which provided a platform for students to link up with established entrepreneurs for learning and industrial exposure.
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“A lot of our young people want to just go out of the country; they are eager to finish their studies so that they can go looking for jobs in European and Asian countries, among others. We are encouraging them to be patriotic enough and help build our nation using the expertise they acquire while studying,” Prof Ngumi said.
Prof Ngumi challenged the youth to tap into the facilitative structures that have been put in place by institutions of higher learning and the Government to invest in innovations and technologies as a way to tame runaway unemployment and address present-day challenges.
The don averred that young people in the country possess impressive innovative skills that need to be nurtured, scaled up, and absorbed across all sectors of the economy to bring about the desired change in economic development.
“The government has provided crucial supportive infrastructure for our innovative youths. We believe that major challenges facing the country, like food, unemployment, security and health, can be solved through these innovations,” he said.
He also challenged students to be more innovative and tech-savvy to gain a competitive edge in the job market and to make meaningful contributions to the country’s economic growth.
His sentiments were echoed by Francis Muoria, the Managing Director of Treasure Communications, who challenged learners to be entrepreneurial, noting that this will turn them from job seekers to job creators.
“It’s high time our youths change their mindset that they study so that they can be employed. They have been equipped with the requisite knowledge and skills in Universities and colleges that can enable them to establish their own income-generating ventures. This way they can create jobs while growing our economy,” he said.
He averred that there’s a sharp decline in job opportunities worldwide, caused by a high number of graduates churned out by higher learning institutions against limited job slots.
Their sentiments come at a time when the Government is focused on exporting skilled labour to other countries to reduce unemployment in the country.
By Kamau Njoroge
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