Youth Development

Materials science leader Dow Chemical East Africa and ChildFund have launched an artisan project to develop future-ready construction workers and reduce construction costs.

The project, Fundi Fiti, will work with Kenya’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to deliver competitive, sustainable, and modern construction education in order to close the skills gap in the infrastructure industry, which is 25% skilled, 33 percent semi-skilled, and 42% unskilled, according to the National Construction Authority (NCA).

According to the Authority, a limited supply of artisans in the sector has resulted in higher construction costs – daily dues to certified artisans have increased by over 300% from around Kshs 800 in 2012 to over Kshs 3000 today, and the ratio of labor to building cost has also increased by over 25%.

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony of a mini-innovation center at Kiambu’s Muguga Vocational Training Centre, Dow Chemical East Africa Managing Director Leonard Kareko said that the initiative is part of Dow’s ambition to build a talent pipeline through Science, Technology, Engineering and Math’s (STEM).

“Through STEM, Dow aspires to be the world’s most inventive, customer-centric, inclusive, and sustainable materials science company by cultivating a diversified talent pipeline of skilled innovators and critical thinkers,” said Kareko.

“We believe that promoting artisanship at the TVET level will mainstream the youth into the infrastructure building economy and solve the core issues bedeviling the sector.”

Kareko also emphasized the importance of the initiative in ensuring Kenya’s ability to develop the artisans needed to successfully implement the country’s Strategic Infrastructure Projects under Vision 2030, which include the construction of roads, railways, ports, pipelines, schools, power plants, and other social and economic infrastructure.

Lauding the partnership’s strategic direction to promote artisanship as a career of choice to Kenya’s youth post-school education and training, ChildFund’s Program and Sponsorship Director Issa Kipera said: “We aim to use this TVET as a spark to help young people develop skills and resilience in construction so that they may improve not only their employment qualifications but also their self-reliance within the Kikuyu Sub-County and, in the not-too-distant future, across the country.”

As part of its transformative strategy to close the skills gap, Fundi Fiti plans to create dedicated facilities and equipment to promote hands-on practical learning in building and construction.

It will also seek collaborations with National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) and other authorities to upgrade the current curriculum and instructional manuals to absorb trends on affordable and sustainable building technology.

Learners will also receive soft skill and behavior change training, as well as field experience through internships and industrial attachment linkage programs with construction companies.

Through the partnership, Muguga Vocational Training Center will be transformed into a Center of Excellence for learning practical construction skills – expected to contribute to the delivery of infrastructure and construction certification training in Kenya.