Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland

The Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University, in partnership with Seneca College and Nova Scotia Community College, is supporting the Young Africa Works - Kenya: Youth Employability Through Technical and Vocation Education and Training (TVET) initiative, which helps to increase employment opportunities for young people, particularly women, in Kenya.

The Young Africa Works in Kenya-TVET initiative is being implemented by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. The partnership is part of a five-year initiative (2020-2025) with the Kenyan Ministry of Education, relevant Kenyan agencies, and the private sector to increase youth workforce participation in Kenya’s ‘Big Four’ sectors (Manufacturing, Affordable Housing, Universal Health Coverage, and Food Security), as well as the Digital sector. The program also seeks to establish and strengthen policies and procedures that promote safe learning environments, provide gender equality training to administrators, and awareness building workshops for government officials.

The Fisheries and Marine Institute together with its Canadian partners will work with Kenya’s Kisumu National Polytechnic and Mawego Technical Training Institute and their mentee institutions, in introducing six training programs in the Blue Economy Sector with the aim of equipping Kenyan youth with the knowledge and skills to be work-ready in this growing sector. The project also aims to expand industry engagement and help strengthen gender equality and inclusion in Kenya.

“We are excited to partner on this project with The Kisumu National Polytechnic, Mawego Technical Institute and our Canadian partners to help address the skills gap within the Blue Economy,” said Bill Chislett, Director, MI International at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University.   “In addition to bringing international experience to the partnership, we value the opportunity for the Marine Institute to be engaged at the forefront of key global Blue Economy developments.”

“In line with our government's Big Four Agenda, the Blue Economy is a key pillar in ensuring that food security is achieved through youth employability,” said Tom Alex Okumu, Head of Department of Agriculture at Mawego Technical Training Institute, Homa Bay, Kenya. “This is why we are partnering with CICan and the Fisheries and Marine Institute; they will help us achieve this goal by bridging the skills gap in our TVET sector," he added.

This is the Fisheries and Marine Institute’s third CICan-partnered project in Kenya. Previous projects include the Young Africa Works in Kenya – TVET 11 project and Kenya Education for Employment Program on Leadership & Management.

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest, private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management.

For more information on the Foundation, please visit: www.mastercardfdn.org

About Young Africa Works

Young Africa Works is Mastercard Foundation’s strategy to enable 30 million young people, particularly young women, across Africa to access dignified and fulfilling work. Africa will have the largest workforce, with 375 million young people entering the labour market by 2030. With the right skills, these young people will contribute to Africa's overall competitiveness and improve their lives and those of their communities.

Mastercard Foundation will implement the Young Africa Works program in 10 African countries in partnership with governments, private sector, business leaders, educators, and youth. In the initial phase, the countries identified by Mastercard Foundation include Rwanda, Kenya, Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda.

For more information, please visit: https://mastercardfdn.org/research/young-africa-works/