340 youth from 10 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Nandi County have graduated from the KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri program.
The graduation marks a key milestone in the KCB Foundation and Mastercard Foundation partnership, implemented under the Young Africa Works (YAW) programme over the past year. The initiative has focused on enhancing employability and boosting income-generating opportunities by equipping 8,500 youth with skills across various economic sectors, ultimately contributing to the creation of over 43,000 jobs nationwide.
Commenting during the graduation ceremony in Nandi County, KCB Foundation Director Mendi Njonjo noted that: “Through the 2jiajiri programme, we are making a profound impact in the communities we serve as we endeavor to tackle youth unemployment. Today’s event marks another significant step towards this objective. The 340 graduates are now ready to kickstart their entrepreneurial journey because they are well equipped with the technical skills.”
The project offers support in technical vocational education and training of vulnerable youth in short courses for 6 to 9 months. This is achieved through practical-oriented vocational training, life skills, work readiness training, and enterprise development skills necessary to drive employment opportunities and wealth creation.
Each training intake runs for nine months and consists of six months of classroom and three months’ industrial attachment with practical training to address the skills gaps. The trainees are then funneled into employment opportunities once they complete their attachment, and those interested in establishing their micro-enterprises are supported in Business Development Services (BDS), equipped with trade-specific starter toolkits, and provided start-up and working capital by KCB Bank through the Foundation.
During the event, a total of 136 toolkits were handed over to the project participants to help them start their business ventures.
So far, the 2Jiajiri programme has created over 179,822 jobs, with 40,063 youth receiving hands-on technical and vocational skills training in key industry sectors. KCB has disbursed nearly Ksh. 1.7 billion in business startup loans and 2,225 startup toolkits issued to enable the youth to deliver high-quality work across their respective trades.