Connect Academy, a partnership initiative between Safaricom PLC and the ICT Authority of Kenya, is celebrating a major milestone after graduating its first cohort of 48 students, with an amazing 98% of the trainees already finding jobs.
The academy that was launched during the 2024 Connected Africa Summit was set up to meet the increasing demand of Kenya for skilled digital infrastructure personnel.
The three-month programme offers practical, industry-aligned training in fibre deployment and other connectivity skills that are central to the growth of Kenya’s digital ecosystem.
During the graduation ceremony, Safaricom CEO Dr. Peter Ndegwa, said the academy was the company’s key facility in its commitment to nurture Kenya’s digital future.
“The Connect Academy to us represents our commitment to building Kenya’s digital future by investing in technical future-ready skills in the people who make connectivity possible. Today, this graduating class is stepping into a digitally led future, and we are assured that the future is in good hands,” said Dr Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom Plc.
Connect Academy’s first cohort was made up of technicians from Safaricom, referrals from the Connected Africa Summit, and community applicants, therefore the programme’s approachable manner of digital capacity building being evidenced.
Over the three months, the trainees were given the opportunity to undergo rigorous technical training, gain sector mentors and get exposed to real-life field environments thereby attaining job readiness.
This robust employment result is a testament to the programme’s prompt effect as it has led to the immediate hiring of the graduates by Safaricom and other partner organisations involved in the digital infrastructure rollout in Kenya.
According to the Acting CEO of the ICT Authority, Zilpher Owiti, the Connect Institute deserves accolades for providing on-demand training to the ICT sector.
“Such a partnership couldn’t have been realized at a better time than this. As a nation, we have a national goal to strengthen the ICT workforce. The Connect Academy is the perfect avenue through which we can have a never-ending pipeline that will keep giving us the much-needed technicians who will be at the core of digital infrastructure in Kenya,” she said.
With the second cohort starting in January next year, Safaricom, and the ICT Authority are still determined to expand the programme, change the course content, and make it available to as many youth who are willing to join the digital economy in Kenya as possible.
The academy is expected to be the major player in the execution of the Kenya National Digital Agenda by the production of skilled human capital for connectivity and technological innovation across the country.