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HF to train one million Nairobi artisans

By KIARIE NJOROGE November 18th, 2013 1 min read

Housing Finance (HF) has entered into a partnership with Nairobi County and five technical institutions to train one million artisans by 2016.

The mortgage provider will provide loans to the students for short courses in the construction industry. The courses will run for between three months to one year.

Graduates must be from within the country and will be required to pay back the loans within four years.

The initiative is meant to address a shortage of skilled labour in the industry.

Housing Finance is currently in the process of developing a curriculum for the courses in conjunction with the institutions.

The institutions include Technical University, Kinyanjui Technical Training Institute, Kabete Technical Training Institute, Nairobi Technical Institute and Railways Training Institute.

HF Foundation Executive Director Winnie Imanyara on Monday noted that upto 50 per cent of the 18,000 students in technical institutions in Nairobi are from outside the county.

“70 per cent of the Nairobi youth are instead out there running the streets with no employable skills,” she added.

The courses will be competency-based.  A certificate course on painting, for instance, will take three months.

Thereafter, HF will offer a one year internship programme to the graduates in its upcoming developments before placing them with other developers.

The firm recently revived its construction subsidiary, Kenya Building Society, and is currently planning to issue a Sh20 billion bond to finance multiple developments in the country.