Over 2,100 interns have benefitted from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s digital talent programme launched in 2014. Most of the alumni are working in both the public and private sector while others have become entrepreneurs. The program benefits the interns by providing them with the work experience that will give them a competitive edge in the job market.
The Presidential DigiTalent Programme is an initiative of President of Kenya Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta and Implemented by the ICT Authority.
The Programme runs in cohorts and its currently in its sixth cohort. The programme on boards recently graduated ICT and ICT related courses and onboards them in the 12 months internship programme.
During the twelve months, the youths are posted to government organizations and private sector organizations to learn and know how both entities operate. During their internship period at both the private and public sector, the interns must come up with an innovation that makes a difference in process operations in any sector of the economy. The best innovations are incubated for a period of one year. The ICT Authority also looks for partners to fund the different innovations.
The programme has a mentorship pillar where youths are attached to a mentor in their area of interest who can guide them in their career growth. The mentors are used grouped into applications development, project management, Networks and security. The objectives of the programme include delivering a combination of structured training, coaching and mentoring, developing a pipeline of future talent for government with a passion for ethical and accountable public service delivery, training interns over a revolving 12-month period and creating an ICT culture transformation that treats ICT as a business in order to promote government service delivery objectives
While presiding over the virtual induction of 400 Cohort VI for the Financial Year 2021-2022, the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT, Innovation & Youth Affairs, Joe Mucheru said that the government is aware the digital economy requires highly skilled ICT talents to drive SMEs. As a result, the PDTP internship was initiated to fill the gap.
The CS also stated that the government, through the Ministry of ICT, Innovation & Youth Affairs, has been making tremendous efforts to increase connectivity and internet access to enable the uptake of technology solutions and bridge the digital divide.
Mucheru says the government remains committed to fostering a globally responsive, competitive, and adaptive ICT workforce through such programs as PDTP, Ajira Digital and Digital Literacy Programme to respond to the industry’s current and future demands on digital skills. The Principal Secretary State Department of ICT and Innovation, Jerome Ochieng’ noted that with skilled people, industries grow, and this creates more job opportunities for young people. The PDTP internship is one way through which the government is developing a pool of ICT talent to take leadership roles and prepare the country for the future.
Prof Fredrick Ochieng, the ICT Authority Board Chairman says PDTP program can help Kenya achieve its goal of ensuring that, every citizen has access to technology and that they can participate and thrive in a digital economy. Through PDTP, the ICT Authority is championing the growth of an African-wide digital economy as envisioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta. The interns undergo rigorous competitive recruitment conducted by both the public and private sectors partners. The recruitment process reflects the face of Kenya with talents being drawn from all the 47 counties.