Details

In cooperation with the Kenyatta University, Kenya, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation organized a six weeks lasting students training on entrepreneurship from in Nakuru. The STEP-4Y –Program (Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion for Youths) is developed by Leuphana University to assist young students to become Job-Creators. The efficiency of the training has been proven for the three years the program has been implemented at Kenyatta University, where 86% of the trainees were able to start small businesses successfully.

The seminar reflected mainly on the empowerment of the youths to be able to think “outside the box” and start innovative enterprises that will generate income for them. It further focused on social justice where with public private partnership structures in place, the previously marginalized groups can now access local economic opportunities. This is due to the introduction of affirmative action in the conduct of business with both the government and the private sector. The concept of social justice was also discussed in depth and several dimensions of the current status of the economy and policy implementation in Kenya were brought out. Additionally, there was a session that discussed the necessary entrepreneurship skills required for successful running of small businesses. Through seminar the students learned how to overcome barriers and networking challenges, how to write a business plan and how to register a business legally. Participants were also taken through simulations on how to establish small businesses and pre-empt challenges within their local economies based on the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) analysis. The training covered a standardized curriculum of 12 modules that cover a wide range of areas relevant to the needs of the youths and cut across three domains namely psychology, business and entrepreneurship.

At the opening ceremony the training seminar was acknowledged by the Deputy Governor of Nakuru County, H.E Joseph Ruto, who represented the Governor. The County Governments was given the opportunity to select the 100 youths within Nakuru County. Others in attendance included the 12 trainers, the county representatives and two KAS representatives. Upon completion of the training in a separate closing ceremony, the trainees were given a certificate issued by Kenyatta University and co-signed by the University of Leuphana and the Nakuru County Government benefitting from the program and the sponsor.

With the training of the one hundred students over the period of six weeks, KAS has made an important contribution to empower young students to become Job-creators. STEP has already been successfully implemented three times at Kenyatta University; the evaluation has showed positive short- and long-term effects. There was a change in entrepreneurial mind-set: students identified more opportunities, were more confident, and showed more entrepreneurial planning and action. These factors predict successful start-up and it is therefore expect that students will start more ventures and create more value.