Kenya – June 2016 update
Generation Kenya now has six centers operating in Nairobi — in Buruburu, Kangemi, Kibera, South B, Shauri moyo and Ruaraka. Greater penetration in target communities is enabling us to reach larger and larger numbers of the young adults who are most in need of employment support. We also launched two new programs earlier this year — focused on training young people to be retail store assistants and fast-moving consumer goods sales representatives — that join our original program in banking and insurance sales.
In May, we celebrated the milestone of reaching 1,000 graduates! Program results continue to be very positive as we grow. Ninety-eight percent of graduates have been placed in jobs with 65% receiving two offers. Generation Kenya has more than 60 employer partners, and we’re finding that Generation grads provide value to employers in a number of areas: they are less expensive to recruit with recruiting costs only a third of those of non-Generation recruits, they stay in the job longer which saves significant money on attrition, and they perform better — which is why 100% of our employer partners would hire Generation grads again. Building on these positive results, we are now moving into cost-sharing model with employers, where they pay a portion of the recruiting and training costs.
Looking ahead, we plan to add two more programs by the beginning of January 2017. We are also in the process of expanding into additional cities, starting with Mombasa and Kisumu.