Kenyan expert proposes program to transition youth into industry
In Kenya, Muriira Karau, Director of Quality Assurance and Inspections at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), proposed creating a national program that would link youth training with industry needs, access to technology, financing, and markets. In an op-ed for Nation Kenya, he noted that unemployed and underemployed young people have significant potential but often lack a clear path from talent to practical skills, technology, financing, production, and stable markets.
Education and employers
According to Karau, training alone is insufficient to create the required number of jobs. Employers, technical colleges, and universities should jointly develop courses and expand apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs, he proposed.
The author cited examples of Germany, where classroom learning is combined with work experience, as well as Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and the United States. In his assessment, successful industrial economies developed networks of interaction among workers, universities, research centers, financial institutions, suppliers, and manufacturers.
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Industries and infrastructure
Karau proposes developing industrial networks in agro-processing, textiles, leather production, pharmaceuticals, building materials, renewable energy, automotive components, electronics, and digital manufacturing. In his view, the selection of priority industries should be based on available skills, market demand, export potential, job creation, and opportunities for local value addition.
Other proposals include shared laboratories, technology centers, and pilot production facilities where youth-led enterprises could gain access to equipment, product development, testing, and certification. Financing and public procurement, the author said, should encourage companies to train young workers, buy locally made products, and include youth enterprises in supply chains.
Karau also called for introducing a national skills information system to identify emerging occupations and guide training and retraining. Industrial development programs, in his view, should have clear targets, independent monitoring, and consequences for failure to meet assigned objectives.
