The private sector is a key player when it comes to development. The accessibility of opportunities and abundance of connections makes it a crucial sector, especially when it comes to youth employment. The upcoming hub at Pwani University will employ the capabilities of the private sector in a push to further the promote the employment agenda of the JOY Project in Pwani university, an instrumental partner in the project.

The hub is tasked with providing skills and training for both students and community members. The the hub’s main role will be to equip the youth with the appropriate skills, both formal and informal, aimed at better preparing them for the job market. This is a relevant issue to be addressed as not all student graduates and other youth are job-market ready. This would impact both the youth and the community by equipping them with skills enabling them to get employment, contributing towards development. The prospective private sector partners in attendance included Equator Kenya, Imarika Foundation, Reinman Processor and Kilifi Plantation alongside Ustadi Foundation, the Pwani
university and hub representatives.

The hubs model was elaborated to the partners providing a clear blueprint for the hub. The hub will be designed to carter for the needs of individual sectors involved in the hub as well students through an overall curriculum and sector- tailored curriculum. The overall curriculum will be geared on the following but not exhaustive aspects; administration, data management and maintenance, project management, farmer interaction and food hygiene.

The hub will adopt a sponsorship system through which youths will be motivated in their education. Despite holding the same relevance in the market as the traditional 8 to 5 education, the hub will be intentional and extremely varied in duration, not exceeding a few months, in order to focus on the key requirements for the respective courses.

The relationship between the private sector, the hub and the prospective students is meant to be mutual, with all parties benefiting from the said relationship. The following will be some of the roles of the hub and private sector in brief;

Role of the Private Sector in the Hub

The private sector partners for the hub will be crucial. The hub will require the expertise of the private sector for the
following reasons;

1. Internships – The private sector will provide placement for the students at Pwani University. The easy access to internships will be an advantage for students, allowing them to easily access quality and relevant experience in their respective fields.
2. Placement opportunities – The private sector is also encouraged to absorb talent that passes through them, a key aspect of the JOY project – job creation. This will provide for a seamless transition into employment especially since the employer is already aware of the capabilities of the prospective employee and also provides an easier vetting process for the same reason.
3. Skill transfer and training – The private sector will also be charged with transferring skills to the hub. The skills are aimed to be hands-on and relevant to the field of the student in order to have meaningful impact.

Role of the Hub to the Private sector

The role of the hub to the private sector will include the following;

1. The hub will be charged with providing research assistance to the private sector partners through the University. This will enable the private sector partners improve on their research capabilities.
2. The hub will also enable linkage between private sector partners. This will exponentially improve collaboration among private sector partners. This will be achieved by the interactions between partner at the hub. Partner linkage through the platform is crucial for the partners’ growth and ultimately the hubs growth.
3. The hub will by large create skilled individuals who are market-ready and meet the standards of the private sector.