#AskWaikenda: What Makes the Youth Vulnerable in the Labour Market?

Earning your first salary is a HUGE thing! Its a sign of liberation, adulthood and apart from that… a sign of enjoying the investment in education with that aspiration of continued development of the skills needed for productivity.

But with the population of 16M of youth, many can’t enter the workforce while others get stuck in low productivity work according to Devolution Cabinet Secretary, Anne Waiguru. So now, the Government have come up with different policies to ensure opportunities are available for young people; their skills to match employment opportunities & that second-chance options protect those who fall behind.

Despite the great progress in primary schooling in Kenya, the preparation of youth for work and life is very low, just as demand for skills and knowledge is rising.

To improve the skills of young people for work and life, education opportunities must be made more relevant to the needs of all young people as learners and future workers, parents, and citizens, and young people need to be provided with the tools to develop their capabilities so they can make the most of opportunities.

As a result, in today’s #ASKWAIKENDA youth engagement,these are the topics to be discussed; how to makes the youth vulnerable in the labour sector? How can youth have skills without behavioral skills that will make them motivated, self-persistent, self-discipline, self-confidence and have the ability to make amicable decisions?

This involves, meeting the growing demand for post basic skills, by providing diverse and flexible learning options in upper secondary and higher education, by implementing a relevant curriculum that teaches practical subjects, thinking skills, and behavioral skills; and by connecting school and work.

Enabling them to make better education choices requires developing their behavioral skills and involving them as stakeholders in their own education, as well as providing better information about learning options and the job market and providing the financial incentives to make better choices.