Huawei Kenya says there have been improvement in income and employment among youth who have utilized its training program dubbed DigiTruck.
Research conducted by DigiTruck indicated that the trainings have enhanced employability as the unemployment rate declined by 6pc with females steering the digital market at 63pc as opposed to 53pc of their male counterparts.
The mobile classroom launched in 2019 and which targets the youths in rural areas aims to enable them maintain and observe online safety, study, find work and trade online as well as earn income from digital and digitally enabled jobs.
“Skills offered have primarily contributed to employment opportunities as some are able to apply for online jobs such as transcribing, online writing and database management, running cyber related enterprises and online eMarketing. This indicates an expanded job market beyond traditional employment setting,” stated the report.
According to the report, income for those earning between Ksh 10,000-Ksh 20,000 increase by 6pc, while those earning Ksh 20,000 to Ksh 30,000 increased by 4pc. There was also a 3pc increase among those earning between Ksh 30,000 to Ksh 40,000 while those earning over Ksh 40,000 increases by 2pc.
The report also stated that the trainees needed advanced training content that ranges from programming, data analysis and visualization, cybersecurity, graphic design, website development among others to cater for the job market.
“To facilitate optimal uptake of digital infrastructure it is imperative that we have commensurate level of digital skilling; that is why this DigiTruck program comes in handy because through this program we are able to reach very remote areas that ordinarily we would not access for purposes of digital skilling” said Eliud Owalo, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Information, Communication & The Digital Economy.
However, there are still a myriad of challenges experienced during the training such as lack of finances for greater impact, poor quality internet connection, faulty equipment, absence of internet access, lack of gadgets, power outages among others.
“From its inception, the aim of the DigiTruck was to reach remote areas; to reach youth who normally don’t have many opportunities; and to reach all across the country.The aim of this DigiTruck is not only to provide digital skills, but also to spread the message about the importance of digital skills and to rally others to our cause,” added Steven Zhang, Deputy CEO of Huawei Kenya.
It was further proposed that partnerships be forged with education institutions, companies, organizations and local businesses to offer internships, apprenticeship opportunities and job placements where they will gain hand-on experiences that further enabling them build networks and enhance their employability.
Over 4,000 youths in different counties have benefited from this program.
