Word for the Safaricom Foundation has it that 300 students who were shortlisted for the institution’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) will start their online classes in June 22, 2020.
TVET was started in March and seeks to impart key skills in plumbing, welding, food and beverage, and electrical engineering to learners. The program will be carried alongside partnerships with Zizi Afrique Foundation and ToolKit iSkills.
The Foundation will give smartphones (Huawei Y5) to over 70 students who do not have access to the gadgets. The handhelds will help them access online and e-learning materials as they wait re-opening of learning institutions.
TVET will also see the start of Waithaka Vocational Training Centre in Nairobi. The institution looks forward to sponsoring more than 1000 students in the next two years.
For the moment, 100 of the 300 students already shortlisted will be based at the Waithaka institution. The rest will be spread across other learning stations.
“We want to empower the students who have been shortlisted for the Safaricom Foundation TVET scholarship programme to commence learning even as we wait for this Covid-19 period to end. The students who have been enrolled for the programme have not been able to attend classes because of the partial lockdown and we want to enable them begin classes via online platforms”, Said Steve Chege, Trustee, Safaricom Foundation.
“Through this scholarship programme, we want to reach some of the most vulnerable youth from across the country and give them access to training opportunities in employable areas, and increase transition to employment”, said Renaldah Mjomba from Zizi Afrique.