The government has announced plans to partner with the private sector to offer internship opportunities to the thousands of youths graduating from institutions of higher learning each year.
Public Service cabinet secretary Moses Kuria on Tuesday said that the programme will complement the ongoing Public Service Internship Programme (PSIP) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) internship programmes.
The CS, speaking during a meeting with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance in his office in Nairobi, said that the programme is also meant to absorb youths who miss out on the government sponsored internship programmes.
“I held a meeting this morning with various representatives of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance led by the KEPSA Executive Director, Gloria Ndekei.
“The meeting discussed the Internship Programme Partnership that we will roll out soon between the government and the private sector,” CS Kuria said.
According to the CS, the decision to partner with the private sector is to also help bridge the gap of low numbers of graduates and youths absorbed in various government departments each year.
He also added that the government was keen on partnering with all sectors across the country namely manufacturing, banking and insurance, telecommunication, retail, academia and hospitality among others to absorb interns.
“Last year, we had 57,000 intern applications in government out of which 8,000 have been absorbed into public service,” Kuria said.
“The government seeks to partner with the private sector to be able to absorb the remainder who are equally qualified,” he added.
The announcement by the CS follows an earlier decision made by President William Ruto last year suggesting plans by the government to create at least 100,000 paid industrial internship opportunities across the country.
Ruto, in a speech delivered during the graduation ceremony of 3,500 youth under the 2jiajiri Programme at the Moi International Sports Centre, said that the programme will help solve the existing gaps in the job market by equipping the youth with the right skills.
“If they [the private sector] pay interns Sh25,000 a month, the government will refund them Sh12,000,” Ruto said.
On Tuesday, Kuria added that to benefit from the programme, applicants will apply online on a portal where various players in the private sector will post openings.
The said portal, www.kiji.go.ke, has already been activated with over 20,000 opportunities advertised.
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