| dc.description.abstract | It is estimated that over 61% (6,710,000) youths aged between 15-35 years are jobless and
living below poverty line (Census report, 2009). About 92% of these youth lack vocational or
professional skills training demanded by our agricultural based economy. The general
objective of the study was to trace the graduates of Karurumo village polytechnic in the labor
market and analyze their contribution to entrepreneurship development in Kenya. The study
used descriptive survey design. The target population was 325 former graduates from
Karurumo youth polytechnic who graduated between 2003 and 2012 with a sample size of
20% of the target population leading to 65 respondents. The data collected was analyzed
using correlation matrix and multi regression analysis to establish the relationships between
independent and dependent variable. The results revealed that vocational skills acquired,
business enterprises started, innovations started and what graduates do after graduation
separately contributed significantly to entrepreneurship development. The analysis further
revealed that polytechnic graduates are making significant contributions in the labour market
either as workers in business or in self-employment. The study recommends that there is
need for strategic positioning of youth polytechnic education in the map of technical
education in the country through diversification of the economy and upgrading of youth
polytechnic in such a way that there are able to meet the demands of labour markets and
skills acquisition. It also recommends that business skills courses taken in the youth
polytechnics be strengthened and made more responsive and functional to enable the
graduates of the polytechnics start business enterprise’s and do business in a better, faster,
less costly way and create new technologies in the markets. Lastly, the study recommends
youth polytechnic be made more innovative and creative to enable them to prepare their
graduates to introduce new products in the markets, new services and even open new
markets both in the rural and urban center’s after graduation. This will prepare the graduates
to be change agents and mobilize resources to establish small and micro enterprise’s and
create more employment opportunities for economic development in Kenya | |
