Kenya's industrialists seek action to fix skill gap

Kenya's industrialists held a meeting in Nairobi on Monday to address the alarming skills gap in the country and sought ways to transfer knowledge and technical skills into the market.

The forum brought together various CEOs and senior executives from local businesses to brainstorm the immediate strategies with regard to skill and technical know-how that industry should embark on.

In her opening remarks, Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) CEO Phyllis Wakiaga said that a skilled workforce is necessary to spark the industrial revolution required in the country.

"We need people who, not only know what is being done as best practice, but can use that to solve our unique problems and come up with new ideas to catapult local businesses to compete at a global level now and in the future," Wakiaga said.

Wakiaga said KAM, through its Manufacturing Academy provides top notch training geared towards bridging the gap between the need for the relevant and up-to-date skills fit for industry.

This, Wakiaga said, is done through provision of capacity building and technical training. Business leaders have identified their needs not only in terms of the technical skills that are required, but also put even greater emphasis on the "soft skills" that are critical for workplace success.

"In the Manufacturing Sector, there is the inability to understand how a small task such as tightening a bolt fits into the bigger picture. There is also little understanding of the different machines and equipment used in the industry which leads to reliance on judgment rather than on the instructions," she added.

The Manufacturing Academy main aim is to provide technical and specialized training services for industry to grow its competitive edge.

"It is in our interest as industry to get involved in the curriculum development of our schools to produce a workforce that will be agile and visionary in building our nation," Wakiaga said.

The Deputy Ambassador and Head of Economic Affairs of the German Embassy Michael Derus said capacity building through technical training is imperative for any organization to improve its bottom line, ultimately driving further industrialization and productivity.

Derus said Kenya has a vision to become an industrialized country and technology transfer will play a key role towards this.

"Our aim is to keep the dialogue on the needs of industry, open, flexible and useful for the young graduates and workforce in general, in this country," Derus added. Enditem