Safaricom has renewed its partnership with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), as part of its support towards the development of qualified and competent telecommunication professionals in Kenya.
The collaboration, which has been on-going since December 2008, is aimed at growing a skilled-pool of ready-to-work telecommunications engineers and other professionals for the Kenyan market and abroad.
Safaricom signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with JKUAT on December 2, 2008 as part of a proactive approach to developing relevant work-place skills and experience by partnering with institutions of higher learning.
"Safaricom is happy to contribute to the education and training needs of competent telecommunications engineers for the local and international markets. We believe that the future of our industry depends largely on the ability and quality of the staff we engage," said Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore during the signing ceremony held at JKUAT.

He lauded JKUAT's commitment to producing competent engineers and pledged Safaricom's support for the partnership, saying it would promote a culture of innovation; citing the winning applications from the university's students Masai Abel Jevayi (KaroPay) and Shihembeotsa Edna Mugoshi (Manyatta) during the first inter-universities Huawei Android Applications Challenge (HAAC) announced recently.

"For us at Safaricom, institutions of higher learning are a rich and reliable source of young innovative minds that will one day yield live-changing technological breakthroughs. We are increasingly looking for highly skilled graduates who can make a real difference in our company," said Mr Collymore.

JKUAT Vice Chancellor Prof Mabel Imbuga , who signed on behalf of the university, thanked Safaricom for its support, especially in the development, over three years ago, of a curriculum for the the Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication and Information Engineering degree course, whose first batch of students joined in May 2009.

The partnership with Safaricom, she added, was an excellent example of how the corporate sector can enrich and contribute positively to human resource training and development in the country.

Under the MoU, Safaricom provides support to enhance professional skills of staff in both institutions through training, staff and students interactions and exchange of experiences and information.

Among past successes of the MoU include the Wezesha Project in which Safaricom subsidizes the price of laptops to JKUAT students as well as continuous participation in activities held annually at JKUAT University such as the Engineering Student Expo held every October, at whichSafaricom has donated awards to best innovations by students.

Others are the JKUAT Scientific, Technological and Industrialization Conference held in November, at whose 2011 edition Safaricom donated three laptops for use during the conference. Safaricom through its business partners IBM and AVIAT, then called Harris Stratex, have also held technology workshops for the Academic staff.

As the local telecoms industry grows and demand for specialized skills increases, such partnerships will be a key ingredient in producing a cadre of qualified personnel. Local universities, which provide about 5,000 ICT graduates annually, face a lot of challenges in putting together the infrastructure needed to achieve this.