Youth employment initiatives in Kenya

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Document

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Language:

English

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english

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skpEng

Sources:

Information is gathered from other international organizations that promote skills development and the transition from education and training to work. The Interagency Group on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (IAG-TVET) was established in 2009 to share research findings, coordinate joint research endeavours, and improve collaboration among organizations working at the international and national levels.

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skpIntOrg

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international-organizations

Topics:

Youth employability

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Globally, nearly 68 million young women and men are looking for and available for work, and an estimated 123 million young people are working but living in poverty. The number who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) stands at 267 million, a majority of whom are young women. Significantly, young people are three times as likely as adults (25 years and older) to be unemployed.

Skills development is a primary means of enabling young people to make a smooth transition to work. A comprehensive approach is required to integrate young women and men in the labour market, including relevant and quality skills training, labour market information, career guidance and employment services, recognition of prior learning, incorporating entrepreneurship with training and effective skills forecasting. Improved basic education and core work skills are particularly important to enable youth to engage in lifelong learning as well as transition to the labour market.

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skpYoEmp

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youth-employability

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues.

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skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

22 Mar 2016

Open

wcmstest4_168858.pdf

Kenya faces a significant unemployment problem with youth being hit hardest. The high unemployment is related to the overall investment climate in the country and the economy’s low capacity to create new jobs. But youth find it particularly difficult to enter the labour market. Reasons for this are complex. They range from deficits in education and skills to lack of work experience, difficulties to obtain information about career options and job chances, irrational recruitment practices of employers, and the lack of necessary assets and attitudes to become self-employed.

The government has undertaken many initiatives to address the youth unemployment challenges. However, too little is still known about what works best in youth employment promotion in Kenya. In order to guide future investment decisions of government and development partners, more evidence is needed about the effectiveness of different initiatives and approaches in promoting youth employment and fostering a smooth transition from education and training to work. This study tries to address this gap with a mapping of youth employment initiatives in Kenya based on a desk study undertaken in 2013.

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