Multimedia University will host an Information and Computing Technology (ICT) training programme that is set to equip university graduates with latest skills necessary for the job market.

This comes after the government of Kenya through the Kenya ICT Board and SAP announced a partnership deal that will see 100 bright but underprivileged students undergo training to become certified SAP Software engineers.

Dubbed “SAP Skills for Africa”, Kenya ICT Board CEO Paul Kukubo said the partnership is key in equipping young professionals with high end ICT skills that are on demand in the Kenya and the wider East African market.

This effort provides a much needed skills for graduates who would otherwise not have had the privilege to be exposed to this specific set of world class skills", said Kukubo.

During his speech, SAP CEO, Africa Pfungwa Serima reiterated that the SAP Skills for Africa programme aims at ensuring that each and every university graduate is equipped with the skills necessary to enter the job market and not only to gain economic stability and prosperity but also to be able to plough back into the ecosystem.

MMU Principal Prof. Water Oyawa while giving his remarks noted that the initiative perfectly fits into the university agenda of producing graduates who are immediately ready to be productive in the industry upon graduation.

Over the years inadequate skills of our graduates has been a chief cause of high employment rates, making our graduates to hop from one job to the other. If we can churn 100 all rounded graduates annually, we shall have arrested this by providing a bigger talent pool for employers to choose from,” said Prof. Oyawa,

The programme which commits to deliver professional training and certification to Kenyan university graduates will also seek to substantially improve the employability of young bright graduates and equally deliver on the government’s mandate to promote digital inclusion, to forge Kenya as an ICT hub for Africa and drive ICT skills development.  

However, while MMU will be hosting this noble exercise, the Kenya ICT Board will provide necessary computer infrastructure and will also be charged with the overall management of the programme whereas SAP will provide instructors, training material and educational systems.

The trio were speaking at Intercontinental Hotel during SAP and ICT Board Skills Development forum where Mr. John Walubengo, Dean Faculty of CIT, MMU was also among the guests in attendance.