The United Nations Development Programme signed an agreement on Tuesday with China Road and Bridge Corporation to support employment for Kenyan youth, aimed at expanding sustainable employment opportunities while addressing regional inequalities.

Under the NextGen. Ke Youth Employment Program, CRBC plans to onboard about 1,000 interns over three years through its infrastructure projects and provide financial support totaling $581,000.

The opportunities will cover road and bridge engineering, project management and company operations, among other areas.

"Our aim is to help young people gain practical work experience, improve their employability and create better conditions for their transition into formal employment," said Li Fangliang, director of CRBC Kenya.

Outstanding participants may be considered for full-time employment within the company, Li said.

The initiative is expected to help ease youth unemployment in Kenya, strengthen local talent capacity and enhance the competitiveness of the country's labor market, he said.

It supports Kenya's broader economic transformation agenda while deepening practical China-Kenya cooperation in areas such as talent development and infrastructure construction, he added.

The program also demonstrates Chinese companies' commitment to social responsibility and local development in the countries where they operate, Li said.

Jean-Luc Stalon, resident representative of the UN Development Programme Kenya, said the youth employment initiative aims to create tens of thousands of job opportunities for young people, depending on the level of financial support mobilized.

"All stakeholders are aligned to address one of the major challenges in this country, which is accelerating access to jobs for the youth," Stalon said. "With this partnership, we believe we can reach 15,000, 20,000,50,000 or even up to 100,000 jobs. It all depends on the availability of funding."

The UNDP currently has seed funding for the initiative, but additional resources will be required to expand the program, he said.

Discussions are continuing with the Kenyan government on a possible financial contribution, while private-sector companies participating in the program are also expected to support it, he added.

Stalon explained that the program provides a monthly stipend to young participants placed in companies to support them during their one-year work placement.

The stipend is calculated based on Kenya's minimum wage and is estimated at between $155 and $194 per month for each participant.

Key benefits

The initiative offers two key benefits, Stalon said. First, it enables graduates to gain professional experience, which many employers require but which many young people lack after leaving university.

"Many young people graduate from university and are immediately asked for professional experience, which they don't yet have," he said. "This program gives them the opportunity to spend one year in a company and build their CV."

Second, Stalon said, the placement increases their chances of securing permanent employment, either with the host company or elsewhere after gaining experience.

Expanding youth employment remains a top development priority in Kenya, he said, adding that the initiative aims to provide practical solutions by connecting young people directly with private-sector opportunities.

The program is expected to benefit more than 15,000 young graduates through private-sector placements, generate over 150,000 short-term jobs, and improve access to essential services for people through enhanced public services and infrastructure.

edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn