Kepsa, Absa Bank to train one million youth on digital jobs

Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) CEO Carole Kariuki. [Photo, Kelvin Karani]

Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) has announced a partnership with Absa Bank Kenya to train one million youth on digital job opportunities.

The programme’s objective is to address the issue of youth unemployment and inability to find work.

Absa will provide training through its existing ready-to-work programme to support Kepsa’s network to build linkages that will enable enterprises to outsource work.

Kepsa chief executive Carole Kariuki said that with at least one million young Kenyans entering the job market each year, the economy has not been able to provide the required employment opportunities.

“With such alarming statistics, it is therefore within the mandate of the private sector that provides around 90 per cent of employment, for both formal and informal jobs, to support with interventions that will address this ‘youth burden’ before it gets out of hand,” she said.

Ms Kariuki said the Kepsa Foundation, in partnership with over 1,000 businesses, is working to equip Kenyan youth with skills and work opportunities, and also provide industry with a pool of skilled workers.

She said the partnership provides an opportunity to unlock thousands of jobs for young people in the creative industry as influencers and content creators.

Absa Bank Kenya managing director Jeremy Awori said youth empowerment is a catalyst for positive social change.

“Education and skills are one of the strategic pillars of our corporate citizenship strategy, hence our platform to engage Kenyan youth and help them materialise their careers through skills training and mentoring platforms from industry and marketplace experts,” he said.