Housing Finance headquaters.[Photo/Businessdaily]
Housing Finance Foundation has started incorporating artisans in its key projects as part of its ongoing training and internship programme.
The programme, which was rolled out in partnership with the German Corporation for International Development (GIZ), supports trainees in selected institutions.
Caroline Sikasa HF foundation senior programme manager said the aim is to enable the artisans to gain hands-on training in occupations related to the construction sector and facilitate practical internship opportunities.
“Under this programme, we recently hosted a mentorship forum for 75 artisans at our Komarock Heights development in Nairobi,” she said during the launch of the partnership yesterday. The artisans received certificates for completing three months internship training in the trades of masonry, plumbing, building and construction and electrical installation.
Sikasa said the approach will ensure competent-based education and training which is demand-driven and also promote enterprise culture so as to offer a wide range of employment opportunities to the youth.
She said through the Foundation, HF Group is the first private sector player to spearhead this Vision 2030 flagship project through partnerships with various industry contractors.
Komarock heights have hosted skills development training for over 500 artisans since it broke ground in September 2015. The initiative builds on HF Foundation’s continued commitment to improving overall skills in the construction sector.
HF’s intention is to train over one million people in technical skills in order to improve the quality of technical skills in the construction industry and drives Vision 2030. This is because technical skills and enhancement of a robust curriculum for technical courses is the surest way to help bridge the widening technical skills gap in the country, it says.