2024 - A year of ups and downs

December 29, 2024

The year 2024 was both a difficult and good year in some ways. We saw Kenyan youth standing up en masse and demanding education, employment, and good governance. Youth here find themselves increasingly marginalized. They lack education and other development opportunities, especially skills training that can help them gain employment and become self-reliant. There is an urgent need for the Kenya government to work with youth support workers, employers, education providers and training institutions to develop a national strategy for creating youth economic opportunities.      

According to Federation of Kenya Employment's latest report, the construction industry is posed to create 35.7% (the majority) of new jobs in Kenya between now and 2030. The demand for skilled workers in this sector has been growing steadily in the recent years, this trend is expected to continue well into the future because the construction industry is vital to the growth and development of the country. As the population continues to increase, so does the need for new infrastructure, building, and housing. The demand for new construction projects translates into an increased demand for skilled workers.

Construction Skills Trailing: Creating Opportunities through Partnership

For the 4 years, SYSC' has been working in collaboration with CAPYEI, the National Construction Authority and construction industry partners to provide skills training and employment  for out-of-school and unemployed youth. We are excited to now be in discussion with county governments about creating a policy that will require youth skills training and employment (and an associated budget) as a part of every infrastructure and construction project in Nyeri. We hope to have this approved and implemented from 2025.

Happy New Year. We look to 2025 with optimism of what we can achieve toether.

Joe Mwai

Chair of the Board