Every year, large numbers of young Kenyans enter the labour market without the practical skills, work experience or industry connections needed to secure decent work. At the same time, companies in fast-growing technical sectors struggle to find skilled workers who are ready for the job. This gap is not only a challenge for young people. It also constrains business growth and reduces the ability of training systems to respond to real market demand.
PropelA Kenya is Swisscontact’s flagship project for private sector engagement in skills development. It shows how companies can move from being occasional supporters of training to becoming co-designers, co-investors and long-term users of a workforce development system that responds to business demand.
In Phase II (2026 - 2029), PropelA deepens and expands this model. Apprentices spend most of their training in the workplace and the rest in school and workshops, so learning is closely tied to real business needs. Companies help define skills requirements, host apprentices, train workplace mentors and increasingly use the programme as a recruitment pipeline. Training institutions strengthen delivery, quality assurance and financial sustainability. Industry associations and public authorities play a growing role in coordination, curriculum alignment and system anchoring.
The project focuses on priority technical trades with strong labour market demand, including plumbing, electrical, welding, lifts and escalators, maintenance, and selected hospitality occupations, which are currently certified at Level 5. In the new phase, the project will also create the first pathways at Level 6.
It is implemented with private companies, Don Bosco Boys Technical Training Institute, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) and other relevant public institutions. The primary beneficiaries are young Kenyans, especially those who need better pathways into decent work, as well as companies that need reliable access to skilled talent.
What makes PropelA distinctive is its clear private sector logic. The project does not treat companies as donors or advisory partners on the margins. It positions them at the centre of the training model, because they know the skills they need, they provide the workplace where apprentices learn, and they ultimately create the jobs.
This makes PropelA more than a training project. It is a partnership platform that aligns business needs with youth employability and systems change. For funding partners, PropelA offers a practical way to support measurable impact while helping build a stronger, more inclusive and more sustainable skills ecosystem in Kenya. It also serves as an important reference point for regional learning and for the expansion of the model to other countries, including Tanzania.
In Phase One, PropelA
The results demonstrated that the model works: it improved employment and incomes, reduced dropout rates sharply, and showed that employer-led training can be implemented at scale in Kenya with strong private sector ownership.
This project is financed by the Hilti Foundation y Geberit International AG. It is part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.