ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo on Friday, February 24, 2023, officially launched a Jitume ICT lab at the Eldoret National Polytechnic.
According to the CS, the Jitume Labs Programme is part of the Kenya Kwanza Government’s digital skills development agenda.
It is designed to equip technical and vocational education and training institutions (TVETs) countrywide with 23,000 virtual desktops.
“The ultimate goal is to equip one million learners with market-ready business and ICT-related courses, for free. This should then have a roll on effect to more populations,” noted the ICT CS.
So far, some 17 Jitume ICT labs have already been set up and connected across the country.
“We expect them to be fully operational by the end of February 2023 (next week),” Owalo said.
He further noted that the Jitume ICT Labs has already shown signs of being a very promising programme.
Trainees at the Kabete National Polytechnic are already beneficiaries, with some earning from digital jobs up to US$ 2000 per month.
“We are intensifying the Digital Talent Programme, whose key components are skill development, on-the-job coaching, mentorship, training, certification and ICT innovations,” CS Owalo said.
“This is a twelve-month internship package to develop ICT high-end skills in recent graduates,” he added.
The digital talent programme provides a platform for structured training, coaching and mentoring. It also aims to promote ICT innovation and solutions development among the trainees.
Under the Programme, 356 students graduated in November 2022. Another 400
Interns were also recruited in December 2022, and are in training.
Earlier in the day, the ICT CS launched a Jitume ICT Laboratory at Kisiwa Technical College, in Bungoma County.
