UoN Office of Career Services (OCS)

UoN Skills Centre enhances Graduates Employability

The University top management led by Chancellor Dr. Vijoo Rattansi (2nd Right) and Vice Chancellor Prof. Peter Mbithi (Left) receives Jack Ma (middle with white shirt) Chairman of Ali Baba Group together with Cabinet Secretary of ICT Kenya, Joe Mucheru (right).

The UoN Skills Centre has been established on the 11th floor of the UoN Towers and will be offering ongoing training to students and staff in a wide range of skills development programs. Some of the already ongoing training includes the Ajira Digital Training that seeks to impart knowledge and skills on how to tap into online jobs and the Huawei Certification Training programs that seek to build skills and knowledge that networking professionals require.

The Skills Centre aims to upgrade the graduates’ skills, competencies and attitude to enhance their graduates’ employability and entrepreneurship capacity. The goal is to produce skilled, empowered, competitive, employable, enterprising and innovative graduates ready for the job and entrepreneurship market.

 The UoN Skills Centre partners with Industry Partners to offer Technical, Leadership and Soft Skills Training programs for students/staff skills. Students, as well as graduates, will be provided with the avenue to gain “Skills for the Future” through a series of training programs that will aid them in developing their careers and also make them more marketable in the job market.

Among the skills that will be offered at the Skills Centre include: technical skills such as computer skills, programming, data analytics, marketing and data mining, soft skills like CV writing, interview techniques, communication skills, cross-cultural skills and job hunting skills, entrepreneurship skills including ideation to commercialization, patenting and licensing, start-up and incubation and business development and leadership skills.

 “Low skills perpetuate poverty and inequality. Skills development can reduce unemployment, raise incomes, and improve standards of living. Helping young people develop skills makes economic sense”

World Bank

January 1, 2019 by Naomi Mabera 0

Universities to establish Offices of Career Services

The launch of the handbook on the establishment of the Offices of Career Services all universities and tertiary institutions must set up the office which should be up and running by the end of the year,” announced Cabinet Secretary for Education, Amb. Amina Mohamed.

The CS presided over the launch of the handbook on the establishment of Offices of Career Services ceremony University of Nairobi’s Taifa Hall on June 21, 2018. The Offices of Career Services (OCS) will empower students to make right career choices by offering academic advising, career and counseling services and graduate tracker services. In addition, OCS will facilitate linkages between the industry and students, intra-institutional exchanges, apprenticeship services and engage recruitment of prospective high school students, among others.

“As a country, we have devoted a lot of resources in education from primary level to high schools to higher education institutions. It can be a great loss for us and bad economics if we do not commit ourselves to realize any returns,” she said. “I call on all of us to be committed to this initiative because it is our collective responsibility to ensure that our students get gainful employment and even engage in entrepreneurship.”

While welcoming the guests to the University of Nairobi, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Peter Mbithi said that the OCS will have transformative effects in the universities and tertiary institutions.

“We have, for many years, been yearning for support to bridge the skills gap in the job market and lamenting on the need to work closely with the industry to produce market ready graduates,” he said. “The launch of the handbook on careers and mentorship programme is therefore a timely intervention that will go a long way in addressing the problem.”

At the event, two UoN students Bilal Muhamud and Sylivia Mumbi were given an opportunity to speak on behalf of students. They focused on their experience and opportunities in mentorship.

August 6, 2018 by Naomi Mabera 0

Over 118 Students Flagged Off to Israel for ‘Advanced Agriculture Training’

On July 28, 2018, the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Dr. Andrew Tuimur, Principal Secretary of State Department of Agriculture and Irrigation, Prof. Fred Segor and the Ambassador or Israel to Kenya H.E. Noah Gal Gendler flagged off 118 students from five public Universities and Institutes (UoN, JKUAT, Egerton, Kenya Water Institute and Karen Institute of Agriculture). This is an implementation plan of MoU signed in February 2016 between H.E. President Kenyatta and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Israel’s support to Kenya through 11 months Advanced Agriculture and Irrigation Training program in Israel. So far over 358 students have been trained and will be part of the President’s Big 4 Agenda on Agriculture transformative leaders in alleviating the food insecurity in Kenya. The students from UoN were 15.

           UoN Students flagged off to Israel for “Advanced Agriculture Training”

July 29, 2018 by Naomi Mabera 0