The government is committed to ensuring that young graduates match the existing demands in the job market. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi noted that the government was keen at producing highly skilled graduates, with an ability to drive innovation and economic growth, both in employment and self-employment.
Speaking at the launch of the Strategic Plan of Technical and Vocational Education and Training 2023-2027, Mudavadi emphasized the central role of the youth in nation-building. Youth are key actors in nation-building since they are the future of any nation and an integral part of the social structure in society,” he said while launching the Strategic Plan of Technical and Vocational Education and Training 2023-2027 at the Kenya School of TVET in Gigiri, Nairobi.
He encouraged the youths to remain on course with discipline, hard work, and focus. He emphasized that they must always be humble, have integrity, and respect the rule of law in everything they did. “Your character and ability shall reflect and remain the pivotal roadmap of where you want to go as an individual and collectively for the future of our country,” he said.
Mudavadi who is also the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, noted the great reputation Kenya youth enjoy across the globe. Their agitation, he argued, was dimming this. “Youth empowerment should not be misconstrued to portray a generation that is up to infringe more harm than good to nationhood,” he said.
The ability of youth in Kenya to revolutionize the industrial sector ought to be an attraction and not a deterrence to investors. The ANC leader acknowledged that every regime makes mistakes but cautioned that there was need to hold on to the values of the country. “Kenya must not go down. The country is bigger than all of us,” he said.
Mudavadi, however, calmed the youth that the government was committed to ensuring skilled graduates get opportunities in the foreign labor market. Through the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Kenya is putting in place key bilateral labour agreements supportive of young people taking up foreign opportunities. “We are working on various agreements within the European Union framework and extending also to the Gulf countries,” he noted.
One such agreement is with Germany, where globally 250,000 skilled workers are needed; it is envisioned that Kenya is going to take its youth to fill a good share of those opportunities. “We want Kenya to take a sizable share of these opportunities,” added Mudavadi.