162 Kenyan youths depart for the UK under seasonal workers program
JOSEPH NG’ANG’A-KNA
The Ministry of Agriculture has flagged off 162 Kenyan youths from the Kenya School of Agriculture (KSA) to the United Kingdom under the Government of Kenya–United Kingdom Seasonal Workers Scheme (SWS).
The Principal Secretary (PS) of the State Department for Agricul ture, Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh, explained that the Seasonal Workers Scheme is one of the many youth employment and labour mobility initiatives that the Government of Kenya has been pursuing since 2022.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Secretary for Administration, Harun Khator, the PS said the Kenya School of Agriculture is among the few participating Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Kenya and Africa.
“The Kenya Kwanza Administration came into office with a commitment to transform the economy through the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
“BETA targets sectors with the highest impact to drive economic recovery and growth and the propensity to create jobs for the youthful populace. The agriculture sector is one of the sectors with a multiplier effect and potential to create and generate jobs, in addition to providing food and nutrition security,” Dr. Ronoh explained.
The PS highlighted that to day’s agriculture is changing and highly technology driven and the youths must therefore be trained and technologically empowered to competitively participate at all levels of the value chains.
Dr. Ronoh said in order to continually develop skilled and empowered youths, the Government has invested in institutional capacity development at KSA main campus and satellite campuses in various regions of the country.
He said these investments are expected to support training and competency development of youths in various fields in agriculture.
“As a testimony of success of these government interventions of youth in agriculture empowerment, Kenya School of Agriculture is currently offering Competency Based Education and Training (CBET) in horticultural production courses which equips trainees with skills demanded in the job market within the country and beyond, as well as for self-employment,” the PS said.
He added that since 2023 to date, KSA has dispatched a total of 392 students who have been successfully recruited to work in UK farms under the Seasonal Workers Scheme program. According to the PS, the trainees are a strong vouch for the successful training offered at Kenya School of Agriculture.