- SMEs urged to invest in staff training to tackle unemployment
- Workforce development seen as key to creating jobs and boosting productivity
- Employers urged to improve working conditions and career growth
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have been urged to help tackle Kenya’s unemployment crisis by investing in staff training, mentorship and career development, rather than focusing solely on recruitment.
Kenya continues to grapple with a widening gap between the number of young people entering the labour market and the limited job opportunities available, leaving the private sector under pressure to absorb job seekers.
Atlanta Wamahia, founder and impact strategy director at Adroid Facilities Limited, said businesses have an opportunity to bridge the employment gap by equipping workers with practical skills while offering them meaningful employment.
“Kenyans are very learned people and many already possess the skills needed in the workplace,” she said.The biggest gap is creating opportunities that allow youth and women to grow economically,” she said.
Wamahia argued that SMEs should integrate workforce development into their operations by establishing structured training programmes that prepare employees for long term careers while improving productivity.
Such an approach, she said, enables businesses to build a skilled and resilient workforce instead of treating labour as a short term resource.
Her firm, which operates in the facility management industry, has adopted a model that combines commercial cleaning services with workforce development by training employees before deploying them to client sites.
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Under the programme, recruits undergo a six week course covering housekeeping, workplace communication, hygiene, and occupational health and safety before joining the workforce. The company also supports employees pursuing further education and those interested in venturing into entrepreneurship.
According to Wamahia, the model has remained commercially viable, supported by growing demand for outsourced facility management services as Kenya’s real estate and corporate sectors continue to expand.
She cautioned, however, that workforce development should be accompanied by fair labour practices, noting that many frontline employees still contend with poor working conditions, low wages and limited access to statutory employment benefits.
Wamahia urged employers to formalise employment, comply with labour laws and establish clear career progression pathways, saying investment in human capital ultimately benefits both workers and businesses.
Her remarks come as economists continue to identify SMEs as the country’s biggest source of job creation, with the private sector expected to absorb a growing share of graduates and school leavers amid constrained public sector employment opportunities.
By Jonathan Mwinzi
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