The Office of Career Services hosted a Pre-Departure Training session for 96 students drawn from the University of Nairobi, JKUAT, Egerton, Kenya Water Institute, Strathmore University, and Karen Institute of Science and Technology on Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at the UoN Towers.

The students will be in Israel for an 11 months diploma training in advanced mechanized agriculture at the Arava International Centre for Agricultural Training (AICAT) from August 2019 to June 2020.

AICAT’s goal is to impart professional, theoretical and practical know-how and skills in advanced agricultural studies, based on “Learning by Doing”. The program takes place in the Arava region, in the south of Israel, in the desert.

Agriculture in the Arava is the spearhead of modern and sophisticated agriculture in Israel, using modern high technologies in the most inhospitable conditions of the desert.

The students will earn a modest salary to pay for their tuition, accommodation and make a saving to invest when they return home. This program seeks to address the Big 4 agenda on food security and the University is looking to create opportunities and link the students to projects both nationally and at the county level for them to improve on agricultural processes in the country and boost food security.

The UoN Office of Career Services appreciates the partnership between the Kenyan Government and the Israeli Government that led to the birth of this program. To date, 45 UoN students have benefited from the program.