Vihiga County Internship Policy Act. No. 17 of 2012 (2018)

FOREWORD

The Constitution of Kenya requires the state to take measures to ensure that the youth gain access to relevant education, training and employment. To achieve economic, social and political development and secure the country’s prosperity, the county government has prioritized job creation and increased youth employment. Measures have been put in place to strengthen youth employment and entrepreneurship through credit financial assistance and training. However, the youth are unable to take advantage of some of these opportunities as they lack vocational and entrepreneurial skills. To bridge this gap, the county government of Vihiga commits to promote and strengthen internship programs for the youth graduating from training institutions to enable them acquire practical experience.

In recognition of the sustainable development goals and current big four agenda, the Vihiga County Public Service Board has taken the lead in creating internship opportunities for the youth in the county. However, for a long time, the county public service did not have regulations to guide the engagement and management of the interns. The Internship regulations for the Vihiga county Public Service establish mechanisms for managing an effective and efficient internship programme that aims to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and the world of work. The regulations are therefore part of the county government strategy for developing and implementing youth leadership and entrepreneurship programme. The public sector has a role to play in ensuring that the youth, especially those with relevant qualifications, are offered the opportunity to gain practical work experience, which will improve their competitiveness. This will contribute to the government’s effort in alleviating youth unemployment by offering them a chance to gain workplace experience, thus enabling them to have a competitive edge in their job search. These regulations on Management of Internship in the Vihiga Public Service has been developed to provide guidelines on effective management of internship programmes for the youth seeking such opportunities in the county Public Sector.