You can now read the full report presenting the findings of a recent countrywide survey across Kenya on how to address youth unemployment through higher education curricula. The study was conducted in 2021 with facilitation from the African Centre for Career Enhancement and Skills Support (ACCESS).

Ten Key Highlights

1. Youth unemployment is a global issue, with over 73 million young people aged 15-24 unemployed in 2015, and the numbers continue to rise.
2. In sub-Saharan Africa, young people account for 23.5% of the working poor, and the unemployment rate has risen in Kenya from 4.7% in 2019 to 10.4% in 2020.
3. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and shifted the traditional capitalist orientation of business models.
4. Talents and skills development have become crucial for enhancing global competitiveness, and policymakers and business leaders are welcoming the limitless prospects of innovation for knowledge economies.
5. Quality education and lifelong skills development are essential for any society, but schools cannot replicate the real marketplace where practical skills are required.
6. The pace of technology adoption is expected to remain undiminished and may accelerate in some areas.
7. The Future of Jobs Report 2020 predicted that technology adoption would kill 85 million jobs and create 97 million more by 2025.
8. A completed 2021 nationwide youth survey in Kenya (aged 18-35) that was supported under the 2020 ACCESS Idea Competition found a general disagreement to the thesis that higher education would guarantee a good job in Kenya, with an average score of 2.5 on a scale of 1 (strong disagreement) to 5 (strong agreement).
9. The general feeling among the Kenyan youth was that digitalisation and automation would reduce their employment opportunities and job security. On a scale of 1 (highly reducing employment and job security) to 5 (highly increasing employment opportunities and job security), the average score was 2.7.
10. The study confirmed that attitudes towards TVET have been changing positively given the promise for skills and jobs. A total share of 79% would be ready to give up their university admission to join TVET institutions instead given the promise of skills development and matching jobs: very readily (19%), readily (28%), probably (32%), and not at all (21%). On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 4 (very readily), the weighted mean was 2.5 out of 4.

Keywords: Africa, digital fluency, Education 4.0, mentorship, pedagogical re-engineering, skills revolution, TVET, youth unemployment

Download the report from here: Download Link

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Lecturer, Enactus Patron Nashon Adero Taita Taveta University More blogs from this author

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