KCB foundation awards 10,000 youths vocational training scholarships

Up to 10,000 youths have been picked to join 2Jiajiri, the KCB Foundation’s technical and vocational training scholarships programme, giving them a crucial stepping stone into entrepreneurship.

In a game-changing programme that is expected to drastically transform East Africa’s economic journey in the coming years, the KCB Foundation is using a franchise model and joint venture partnerships in a bid to link beneficiaries with training and market access.

The structure of the partnerships, said the KCB Foundation, allows 2jiajiri beneficiaries to have a stake in the ownership of businesses that they establish in conjunction with the partnering companies either through a joint-venture, franchise agreements or branch-operator model.

This means that through the 2jiajiri programme, young people have the opportunity to partner with some of the biggest brands in Kenya like Ashleys, Amadiva, Tuskys, Tuskys and Toyota.

Effectively, this gives them the edge they need to accelerate the growth of their enterprises and a fighting chance to build real wealth for themselves and employ many others.

The 2017 cohort commissioned on Tuesday by President Uhuru Kenyatta will be joining 70 vocational and technical training institutions across the country from this week to pursue various courses; Building& Construction, Automotive Maintenance& Repair, Domestic&Catering Services, Beauty& Personal Care and Agribusiness.

“The youth are indeed one of our country’s greatest resource. Currently, young men and women make up 75% of Kenya’s population. That means that three out of every four people in Kenya is a young person. Our youth are therefore critical players in the social, economic and political future of our country,” said President Kenyatta while hailing the 2Jiajiri programme.

“As a government, we have opened ourselves up for partnerships with the private sector to give the youth a lifeline to self-employ and create more jobs” the President said.

The program seeks to empower 10,000 youth every year to start small businesses that will employ at least 5 people each. KCB Foundation hopes to scale up the beneficiaries to 100,000 annually which would create at least 1Million direct and indirect job opportunities by 2020.