The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) today joined other digital economy stakeholders to celebrate the induction of Don Bosco Boys Town Technical Institute as a member of the AWS Digital Academy, a significant milestone for this institution in advancing digital education and technical skills among the youth.

The Chief guest, Madam Mary Kerema, the Secretary, ICT, eGovernment and Digital Economy at the Ministry of Information Communication and Digital Economy, highlighted the importance of such initiatives in bridging the digital divide and preparing students for the future and global job market. “The cloud has become a platform of innovation, providing work opportunities and solutions for businesses. The Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been known to produce a comprehensive training curriculum needed to excel students in a dynamic labour market environment” pointed out Mary while highlighting the importance of such partnerships and collaborations in promoting creation of work and solutions to businesses. She urged the students present to think not only about employment but also to be creators of work opportunities. Mary added that the digital economy sector is crucial in development of the country and especially one that helps reach event the marginalized communities.

Representing KEPSA was Gracemary Muchiri, Project Manager Ajira Digital Program at KEPSA, who explained the powerful role that the private sector plays in creation of work opportunities and growth of the economy. She pointed out that technology has led businesses to rethink their models in order to compete globally, enhance productivity and efficiency and access wider markets. She also added that the private sector is well positioned to identify and communicate the existing skills gaps in the available workforce to help education institutions and such skilling partners to refine their curriculum and equip the students with the modern-day skills.

“KEPSA has supported innovation, growth of technology and creation of work opportunities for young people through various ways including a dedicated department on youth and jobs referred to as the Kenya Youth Employment & Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (K-YEEAP). With initiatives such as Ajira Digital Program which is part of K-YEEAP and are already in partnership with AWS offering market-led skilling to young people. This is enhancing their work readiness and increasing their chances of accessing global work opportunities,” said Gracemary.

Speaking at the Inauguration was also the host, Bro. Francis Mulu, Principal of Don Bosco Boys Technical Institute who explained the Institute’s global presence and diverse offerings. As a tertiary institution, Don Bosco is present in 133 countries with 3,643 institutions, including 44 countries in Africa. The Institute mainly focuses on the underserved and marginalized groups in the society ensuring to give these young people a future and a chance to grow their communities and the society. Apart from digital skills, the Institute also offers hands-on skilling including plumbing, apparel specialists, vehicle and machine mechanics among others.

Eric Mariita, CEO of Thintech Consulting, was also among the collaborators in the partnership between the Institute and AWS as one who has been assisting the institute refine their qualification to be an AWS Digital member. Eric explained how their green digital labs ensures environmental and economic benefits as it is carbon emission-free, affordable, and maintenance-free. He further explained AWS’s role in providing leading cloud computing solutions and addressing the skills mismatch in the industry. He also reminded the private sectors present to support such initiatives through work placements opportunities for these graduates. He expressed his excitement in seeing fruition of such initiatives as they prepare students for careers in cloud computing and digital technologies.

The students of Don Bosco Boys Technical Institute were excited about the new opportunities. One student remarked, “Being part of the AWS Digital Academy means we can now learn from the best in the industry. This is a game-changer for us. The collaboration between the government, industries, and educational institutions is very key to forging forward” explained one of the student.

The event concluded with a call to the private sector to support such initiatives through work placements and emphasized the importance of collaboration between the government, industries, and educational institutions to drive forward progress.