| dc.description.abstract | Youth Polytechnics, as institutions located mainly in
the rural areas, are to enhance and accelerate the process of rural development through the provision of practical entrepreneurial skills to the -rural- youth. These skills are to enable the youth
engage in mainly self-employment that can assure them of a reasonable income and also facilitate the provision of basic goods and/or services to the rural communities. However, there is increasing evidence that most YPs in the rural areas to date, have not been meeting these objectives adequately, especially in terms of
employment generation for the rural youth. This study was an
attempt to identify and examine factors and conditions that influence the effectiveness of the YPs in the development of the rurul
sector.
The study was conducted in Bungoma district, Kenya. Eight
Government-supported YPs formed our study sample. Each of the
six administrative divisions in the district were represented in the
sample by at least one YP. The study had a total of 103 respondents comprising of 53 YP graduates, 25 current students/trainees,
and 25 other respondents consisting of,the project managers, members of the management committees, Government officials and parents/ guardians to YP graduates. Each of the above figures represent
the number of respondents who gave us a feedback from the various categories of the sampled study population. The key sampling techniques used were the simple random and systematic random.
The study examined the nature and influence of the implementation of national rural development policies at the local levels. This examination of national rural
development policies was on three aspects, that is, the access to loan/credit facilities;the acquisition of the relevant business licenses; and the allocation of public tenders to YP graduates in the rural areas.
The implementation of these rural development
policies at the local level was found to be unsatisfactory. Most of the YP graduates interviewed said that they had
no access to the loan/credit schemes and consequently
had a poor capital base. The acquisition of business/trade licenses was also found to be hampered by various obstacles. Most YP graduates also said that they had not been Allocated any form of public tender by the relevant authorities.
These inadequacies have had negative influences on the
ability and capacity of some YP graduates to enter into productive self-employment.
The study also examined the prevailing levels and influence of YP programme human and material/resource base on YP contribution to rural development. Human resources consisted of project managers', members of the management committees and the instructors. YP material resources referred to tools/equipment's, workshops and
training materials at the disposal of the YPs. An analysis
of the YP managers revealed that most of them were poorly qualified. This had,negatively affected their performance of particular YP duties and functions and consequently
the attainment of certain YP goals and objectives.The level of instructors, especially in terms of adequacy in
numbers, was found to be unsatisfactory. Most YPs lack adequate instructors to sufficiently handle their trainees in the various trades offered.
Lack of adequate tools/equipment, workshops and
training materials was found to be a common phenomenon in
most of the YPs. This situation has, in many ways, hindered the ability and capacity of these YPs to produce high quality skilled artisans. This has in turn, hampered the employment scope and opportunities of some of the YP graduates.
The study found out that the more prosperous a rural
economy, the higher the employment opportunities for the
local YP graduates. Inhabitants in relatively advanced rural economies tend to have higher income savings and thus create an effective demand for goods and/or services offered by YP graduates. In such a situation there are clearly better prospects for the employment of YP graduates.
The major conclusion of this study, was that, YPs are playing a significant role in rural development. They provide entrepreneurial skills that enable} youths to secure
gainful employment. The study specifically revealed that
69.8% of the graduates were in employment. YPs, through their graduates also enable the rural communities to have an
easy access to basic goods and/or services at affordable prices. However, for,YPs to adequately meet their stated goals and objectives and thus fully justify their establishment and existence, it is recommended that certain essential factors and conditions need to be addressed. The
Government in collaboration with the local district authorities should show a serious commitment towards the successful implementation of the various rural development policies at the local levels. Increased
efforts should also be directed towards the improvement
of YP programme human and material resources in terms of both their quality and quantity. The growth and development of the local rural economies should also in practice
become a major priority | en |
