On July 29, 2016, more than 1,000 young Kenyans graduated from an innovative youth employment program in the presence of His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta and the United States Deputy Chief of Mission Paul Sutphin.

Launched just over a year ago, Generation Kenya has already given 1,600 young people the skills they need to succeed in the private sector. Funded by McKinsey & Company and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 98% of graduates have already been placed in jobs in one of three careers: banking and insurance sales representatives, retail store assistants and fast-moving consumer goods sales representatives.

During his historic visit exactly a year ago, President Barack Obama said, “The most urgent task facing Africa today, and for decades ahead, is creating opportunities for this next generation.” The Generation Kenya activity is part of a broader USAID/Kenya and East Africa strategy to place 80,000 young men and women into meaningful jobs by the year 2020.

The graduation took place at Kenyatta International Convention Centre. Graduates are guaranteed interviews with one of Generation’s more than 60 employer partners, including Liberty Insurance, Britam, Barclays, Java House, Bidco, Carrefour, Woolworths and Old Mutual, to name a few.

The Generation program graduates are providing value to employers because they are less expensive to recruit, they stay in the job longer and they perform better than other entry level employees. This is why 100% of employer partners would hire Generation graduates again.

“The Generation graduates we have hired have been fantastic starting on day one of the job,” said Benson Wairegi, Britam CEO. “This is the best source of talent we have ever found for filling our entry-level jobs.”

Generation Kenya currently offers employment programs in six centres in Nairobi – Buruburu, Kangemi, Kibera, South B, Shauri Moyo, and Ruaraka-- and two more have recently opened in Mombasa. Generation is a non-profit program that serves unemployed or underemployed young adults, aged 20 to 30, and works with a wide range of employer and implementation partners.

“Generation changed the way I think about both my present and my future,” said Cecilia Maina, recent graduate. “Not only can I now support my family, but I have plans to build a career in the banking industry. The future is bright!”

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More Information: Interested young people or employers can contact:
generationkenya@mckinseysocialinitiative.org or visit the Generation website at www.generationinitiative.org/kenya

For questions or queries kindly contact:
media@mckinseysocialinitiative.org

About Generation Kenya
Generation is a youth employment program that seeks to connect 1 million young people with skills and jobs in five countries—Kenya, India, Mexico, Spain and the United States—by 2020. It is the first program of McKinsey Social Initiative. Generation Kenya is funded by McKinsey & Company and USAID.

About McKinsey Social Initiative
McKinsey Social Initiative brings together partners from the public, private, and social sectors to develop innovative approaches to complex social challenges. McKinsey Social Initiative implements individual programs, each of which focuses on a single issue. It is an independent 501(c)(3) that was founded by McKinsey & Company in 2014.