The government-negotiated jobs in Saudi Arabia welcomed the initial cohort of National Youth Service (NYS) graduates.
On Saturday, Ministry of Labor Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime led the flagging-off ceremony for the first 46 out of 273 NYS graduates.
Mwadime announced that the graduates would assume roles as caregivers, administration assistants, and health workers.
“We want to establish an international brand as the source of excellent labour by focusing on NYS graduates because of their high discipline. The team leaving will take up health care and Admin. Assistant jobs in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
PS Mwadime stated that the government, in an effort to secure employment for Kenyan youths, will be dispatching additional batches to various countries.
On February 2, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria disclosed plans to send NYS graduates abroad for job opportunities. During a meeting with NYS Recruiting Officers preceding the nationwide recruitment, he emphasized that this initiative aligns with the government’s Labour Exportation Programme, which aims to harness the capabilities and skills of NYS graduates.
“We plan to export NYS servicemen and women overseas. The Labor Export process is underway as we have already begun facilitating the issuing of passports at NYS headquarters in Ruaraka,” said Kuria.
The announcement followed President William Ruto’s directive on December 8, declaring NYS training a mandatory requirement for deployment in government-negotiated jobs abroad. This directive was issued during the NYS pass-out ceremony in Gilgil.
Ruto highlighted that this measure would aid job seekers in comprehending the nature of the jobs and meeting the expectations set by their prospective employers.
