Youth impacted from Toolkit iSkills solar energy training

An impressive 5259 Kenyan youth mostly from vulnerable areas have received solar energy training, thanks to an initiative of Toolkit iSkills, with over 855 skilled youth deployed in the solar energy sector.

The Toolkit iSkills (TTI) is a digitally innovative social enterprise in Africa that focuses on training youth in life and employability skills, technical skills, and Digital skills training. TTI transforms youth through skills training in Construction, Renewable Energy, Digital Skills, Organic Farming, and Linkage to jobs/entrepreneurship.

TTI provides relevant solutions for the challenges brought about by the drastic growth of the youth population in Africa, the unemployment crisis, and an increase in the number of vulnerable youth.

This year the firm noted that it has invested time, thought and deed to skilling youth for decent green jobs. We continued to create jobs in climate-smart agriculture from the organic demo farm in Kikuyu, Kiambu County.

“We designed innovative mobile solar training units based on the expertise of our in-house team and industry experts. We broke down complex solar energy learning into easy-to-learn and easy-to-demonstrate and easy-to-practice,” noted. We did this report to provide evidence of the work of the Toolkit Iskill, to map solar companies in Kenya that gave us all the skill set that they are looking for in the Youth.” Ms. Jane Muigai Kamphuis, Director and Founder, Toolkit Iskills (TTI).

The firm mainly trains the youth drawn from refugee camps across the EAC region.

The training of refugees in Kakuma refugee camp in solar has been a success because of support by the Government, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, humanitarian agencies and solar micro enterprises operating in the camp. However, for the refugees to be competitive, they need exposure to solar companies in the country and the region.

“Their labour mobility however is inhibited by lack of certification and travel documents/permits. The high rate of unemployment in Kenya also means there’s stiff competition with locals for solar jobs. TTI is collaborating with the aforementioned partners to promote entrepreneurship for the skilled refugees,” the firm noted while unveiling the report.

The firm has further called for the strengthening of training industry linkage so that the mismatch is reduced significantly by ensuring that TVET graduates come out with skills that are employable, effective, relevant and applicable to the solar labor market.