The Kenya Private Sector Alliance in partnership with the Digital Explorers II Program is hosting a 2-day Technical and Soft skills training Bootcamp for Data Analytics Interns from today 19^th April to Saturday 20^th  April at the Social House Nairobi. The training boot camp aims to critically analyze and strategically equip the Kenya ICT Talents with the necessary Technical and Soft skills required in the labour market and employers both locally and globally.

The Digital Explorers Bootcamp is an exclusive training session that has brought together ICT Experts from The Baltics, and locally to nurture young talented individuals in the country. This session encourages these stakeholders to Learn new emerging trends and skills needed in the world of data analytics.

With a combination of factors such as the Skills gap in the industry, lack of data accessibility, Limited technological infrastructure, and others are the challenges that have propelled the data analytics community to adopt new strategies that will ensure they are marketable and highly skilled. Through the Digital Explorers program, Kenyan ICT talents can exchange knowledge between the Baltic, Nigerian, and Armenia ICT sectors. This is a great opportunity for tech talents of different experience levels to accelerate their careers and broaden their professional networks.

The program additionally provides internships in the field of Data Analytics in Kenyan companies, boosted by international data analysis training, and also offers an opportunity to relocate to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - one of the most exciting regions in Europe regarding all things digital. The young people are vetted and evaluated in the rigorous selection process that makes them highly marketable and have easy access to the European and Global Markets as well. These exceptionally talented individuals undergo comprehensive training and mentorship to cultivate their capabilities as future leaders in the field of data analytics.

During his remarks at the opening session of the boot camp, Dr Ehud Gachugu, the Global Director, Youth and Jobs at KEPSA called upon the Data analytics talents to take advantage of the boot camp as it is a platform to strategically engage with the experts and learn both Technical and Softskills in data analytics.

“As an organization, we are truly intentional about creating jobs for the young people. For the past 13 years, we have been engaging with the private sector and external markets as well to support the country in addressing the youth unemployment issue in the country. We are working to help prepare young people and graduates to transition from school to the labor market. Thanks to the digital economy now we have access to a larger geography in Africa and the world at large.”

Welcoming the participants to the boot camp, Osmos Director Zilvinas Svedkauskas highlighted the great potential in African countries, particularly in Kenya in the ICT Sector. He expounded on the main goal of the program to create an opportunity for Baltic ICT companies to grasp the scope and expertise of the local talent pool which could lead to employment and professional growth opportunities.

The second day of the boot camp will also see an Industry Matching session with companies engaging with the selected young talents. Through this engagement companies will interact with them and will be allowed to pick the skillsets that meet their companies’ needs. Additionally after the successful match-making the program will co-share the interns stipend with the companies.

With the digital economy growing larger, a shift in the modern workplace, and more technological advancements being made, there is a need for Companies and data analysts to embrace a culture of continuous learning and reskilling to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving field and markets. There is a need to invest in programs and knowledge-sharing platforms that can help data analysts to position themselves as invaluable assets driving meaningful insights that will continue to build the economy in the country.