(ANS – Nairobi) – The Job placement desk is a recruitment and career desk at “Don Bosco Development Office Nairobi” (DBDON). Its primary duty is to create and enhance the links between employers and Don Bosco training institutions with a view of exploiting employment opportunities for young people.

One of the key challenges facing African youth is lack of relevant education, knowledge and skills required to enhance their absorption into the labour market. At the same time, there are so many complex structural and frictional constraints related to lack of employability: new entrants in the labour market are mainly youth who are ready to take any type of job, provided that it secures their immediate survival. These youth can easily be co-opted for harmful ends. This would not be the case if such youth were prepared to join the informal sector and adjust their life styles accordingly.

The Job Placement Officer carries frequent follow-up visits to check on the progress of the students that are already working in various companies. These visits are also meant to create more confidence with the companies and the Salesian institutions, and solve conflicts that may arise between the past-pupils and their employers.

75% of the total registered applicants find job connections within six months. Past students who do not find job connections opt to start and operate their own businesses successfully. Job Placement Desk is now partnering with some international recruitment agencies who have connected more than ten Salesian past students with international jobs.

There are also some challenges:

• Most industries are located in urban areas in Kenya, due to urban migration that also causes the rise of slums. For the majority of students, the high cost of living in the city deters them from taking up job opportunities.
• Despite their qualifications the employment of refugees in Kakuma camp in Kenya has become a problem due to the work permit required from them before Salesians can place them for job opportunities in the companies that might be interested in employing them.
• Also employers’ asking for previous experiences is a hindrance to the fresh graduates from our institutions.
• Lack of tools or seed capital to enable some of the past students who might want to open up a workshop or venture into a small business, because the demands from the available financing institutions are too high for the youth.
• Challenges in finding adequate jobs for all the trades: all trades have market demand but some trades have more demand in the job market than others.

Published 25/02/2015