BrighterMonday Kenya in partnership with GIZ Agri-jobs 4 Youth, supported by the German Development Cooperation have collaborated to implement a Human Resource(HR) Forum in Kisumu . The theme of the event is “ Managing a Multigenerational Workforce” and aims to tackle the labour sourcing challenges and solutions in the Agri food value chain in Western Kenya to increase access to job opportunities for the youth.
The forum aims to offer solutions that will empower Human Resource professionals with the proper skills required to manage their workforce, to ensure employees operate at maximum productivity at the workplace .
This in turn runs hand in hand with the launch of the Vijana na Kilimo project that was launched in March, to help the youth in Western Kenya get access to jobs in the agriculture sector.
The forum held in depth discussions under 3 main topics, that will see improvement in productivity in the agri-food sector value chain, Thus:
- Upskilling to create youth employment and maintain a productive team
- Bridging the pay vs work mismatch to create a viable agri-food sector
- Hiring processes & guidelines, labour laws and Policies deep dive
According to Pancy Maina the Campaign Manager at BrighterMonday Kenya, upskilling to increase employability is a key aspect that needs to be addressed in order for the youth to be more employable.
“ we are constantly working to ensure that the youth are upskilled in order to be attractive to hiring managers. Our partnership with GIZ Agri-Jobs 4 Youth is an avenue that provides this platform for the youth. We are happy that this HR Forum is bringing together industry players to tackle some of the challenges that they face when hiring the youth with the larger aim of enabling the youth and creating employment opportunities for them in the Agri-food value chain.
Julia Mueller, Labour Matching Advisor for GIZ Agri-Jobs 4 Youth added that they are leveraging data and technology in order to enhance youth employment.
“Through such partnerships, we want to ensure that the youth in Western Kenya get access to jobs in the agri food chain. There may be a skills gap , but through our upskilling and training programs,through the partnership with BrighterMonday, we endeavour to bridge the skills gap that job seekers have, that limits them from accessing jobs. Our mandate remains empowering the youth with employment opportunities and we are happy to be doing that through the Vijana na Kilimo project.