Driven by shrinking bottom lines and pressure to deliver on investment, employers are reluctant to spend time and money retraining, and expect new staffers to hit the ground running. CAPYEI, a non-governmental organization in Kenya is providing the answers.
- NGO assists underpriviledged post-Secondary School youth acquire skills that give them an edge in employment market.
- A countrywide network of 45 has been established
- Training curriculum is demand-led, with employers involved in its design and training
- Courses are compliant with Competence Based Curriculum (CBET) being implemented in Kenya By Eric Obwogi
With a CV that is the envy of his mates, Jack’s longest stint with an employer was all of six months, and the last time he passed through those revolving doors was June 2019. His inability to hold down a job is a conundrum that family and friends are still grappling with.
In a country whose education system is respected for not only producing eminent internationally recognized scholars, but also is home to a rich human resource base, a recent research by CAPYEI (CAP Youth Empowerment Institute) revealed a hole in Kenya’s education system that was puzzling. Although graduates from the country’s training institutions more than hold their own in the job market, there is a serious gap in “soft” skills without which one would find navigating the rough and tumble of today’s workplace a tall order.
“90 percent of the people we talked to said that they have had to conduct further training in soft skills for new employees,” says Mr. Ndungu Kahihu, executive director, CAPYEI.
Employers insist soft skills must supplement technical qualifications for efficiency and productivity.
CAPYEI, a Kenyan training NGO set up in 2011 has been equipping vulnerable youth with job entry level skills, preparing them for the uncompromising job market. Using a model called Basic Employability Training (BEST), a short training program that takes 3-four months, CAPYEI imparts effective communication, CV writing, grooming, leadership, job interview and other necessary “life skills”.
“BEST is a nine-step model based on a set of very simple linear things that, if done right, are guaranteed to propel a very disadvantaged person into the formal labor force,” says Mr. Kahihu.
“We have placed many young people with organizations where they can use their training in employment. Out of over 60,000 youth reached and trained in 32 centres countrywide, transition to employment stands at around 75 percent while 8% of trainees take up entrepreneurship,” he adds.
CAP means community and progress, a concept that was born in India about 20 years ago, with the involvement of Plan International. It was a programme that was meant to help street youth in India’s major cities improve their lives and reintegrate into society. It gathered momentum out of the dilemma that beneficiaries found themselves in after exiting the street. They faced new challenges like lack of shelter, the inevitable conflict with law enforcement, and needed skills that would help them earn a living to take care of themselves and their families.
In Kenya, CAPYEI strives to give trainees an edge courtesy of the rigorous, targeted and comprehensive nature of nurturing they undergo under BEST that gives them an edge on the employment que.
“We enroll the youth very proactively, literally going to where they are. Over time, we have created a network of people familiar with needy qualifying youth, called mentors, who are drawn from church, local administration (chiefs), elders and youth groups who help identify the neediest, and CAPYEI supplements that by doing roadshows,” says Mr. Kahihu.
A countrywide network of 45 has been established, including the NGO’s own centers, while others are hosted by people who believe in the NGO is doing either for a small fee or for free. 30 centers are hosted within government-owned vocational training centers and youth polytechnics.
Training is done in tandem with industry needs, involving potential employers who ultimately contribute to curriculum development.
“Since it is demand-led, we only train young people to fill available opportunities that have been identified,” says the director. “For instance, we have a very big program that is preparing young people to work in the hospitality sector, kitchen, service, and front office – the requisite tech skills to work in hotel settings.”
“Our model works by engaging employers very intensely at different levels – identify opportunities; then meet them to tap into their ideas and suggestions on curriculum design. For those in the hotel industry, for instance – it might be new equipment, new processes, the latest in the sector that will make learners stand out, and secure a competitive edge,” says Mr. Kahihu.
He says that 14 of the programmes are now CBET (Kenya’s new competence-based curriculum) compliant, and free of charge. “We realized the need is great, and it is a give-away, essentially for this country. Anyone who wishes to train can pick them up and hit the ground running, not start from zero,” she adds.
He says that the demand for TVET sector alone is 3.1 million. “I would be happy if we are able to train a third of that!”
