Youth in a group.[Photo/youthvillage.co.ke]
Planning PS Irungu Nyakera has said that the government is banking on enrolling more youths for vocational training to curb high unemployment rates in the country.
He said it is unfortunate that despite Kenya's tremendous economic growth, the youth still constitute an overwhelming majority of the unemployed.
The PS said the government will also increase the number of Technical Training Institutes' staff, expand HELB to cater for TVET students, and align the curriculum to industry needs.
He added that graduates from these institutions will then be equipped for the job market through internship and apprenticeship programs.
"To further facilitate this, the government has established a Youth Development Council to link youths to opportunities. We will also extend tax incentives to organizations who absorb interns."
Nyakera said prioritised sectors comprise manufacturing, commercial agriculture, agro-processing, and housing.
"The sectors are critical for industrial development, enhancing food security, as well as providing decent and affordable housing for all. These will simultaneously create more jobs in Kenya," he said on Friday.
The PS said besides retarding the nation's potential and economic growth prospects, disenfranchised youth are highly likely to engage in crime or be used as a tool of aggression and political unrest.
"As the population expands and more young people join the job market, the consequences of youth unemployment if left unresolved, can be detrimental," Nyakera said.
He said the measures follow President Uhuru Kenyatta's plan as articulated in the Jamhuri Day address.