President William Ruto has announced plans to guarantee every university graduate a one-year internship under the newly launched Next Generation of Kenya Youth Employment (NextGen.Ke) initiative.
Speaking at State House on July 24, Ruto said the government will work with the private sector to establish a framework that incentivizes companies to take on more young people.
“If we can bring our development partners and the private sector together, we should provide every young person graduating from university with an automatic one-year internship through the Next Generation Initiative, backed by the Government of Kenya,” the President said during the launch of the NextGen.Ke programme at State House.
Ruto said the government plans to increase the resource pool for the initiative to KSh2 billion next year, with the allocation expected to rise to KSh5 billion as partnerships with development partners expand.
He said the private sector would play a key role by creating more internship opportunities, sharing industry knowledge and mentoring the next generation of Kenyan professionals.
Ruto also directed Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya to work towards increasing internship placements from the current 500 to 10,000 within the next three months.
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Interns to Have Skills
Ruto said the programme would equip young people with practical workplace experience, making them more competitive in the job market and increasing their chances of securing employment.
He encouraged interns to focus on acquiring skills and workplace experience, saying the programme would serve as an opportunity to prove themselves to prospective employers.
The President also encouraged participating organizations to offer interns a stipend, even if it only covers transport and lunch.
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What Is the Next Generation Youth Employment Program?
The NextGen.Ke Initiative is a partnership between the Government of Kenya, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA).
The programme aims to expand employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, and skills development for young people by strengthening collaboration between the government and the private sector.
Participating employers come from key sectors including banking and financial services, manufacturing, media, agriculture, healthcare, transport and logistics.
Some of the organisations offering internship opportunities include Kenya Women Finance Trust (KWFT), Bata Shoe Kenya PLC, CKL Africa Ltd, Royal Media Services, Sangare Gardens/Farm, Metropolitan Hospital, KEPSA, Maersk Kenya Limited and Bedi Investment Limited.
Who Can Apply?
The NextGen.Ke programme is open to Kenyan citizens aged between 18 and 35 years.
To qualify, applicants must be final-year students in a tertiary institution or holders of a verified degree, diploma or certificate. They must also demonstrate a willingness to upskill and commit to the structured internship programme.
How to Apply
Interested applicants are required to register through the NextGen.Ke registration portal and create a candidate profile detailing their educational background, skills and work experience.
Applicants will also be required to upload supporting documents, including their national identification card, academic transcripts and relevant academic certificates.
Once submitted, the platform will assess applicants’ qualifications and match them with participating employers based on their competencies and available internship opportunities.
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I hope this will work out smoothly without no other issues and with no complicated requirements such as requiring some fees to apply .And let the process of absorption be free and transparent where people are taken based on their qualifications and not based on whom do you know .
This is daamn nice idea which will enable us graduates to gain more practical skills and also at the end it will open their minds, however we hope and believe the entire idea will work smootly without tiresome procedures and moreso corruption in hand.