Main Menu

VSO - Sharing Skills, Changing Lives

Where we do it > Kenya - Sjoerd Spaanjaars

Name: Sjoerd Spaanjaars
Role: Business Adviser, Mwabayanyundo Youth Polytechnics Training Enterprise Development (TED)
Location: Mwbayanyundo (40km from Mombassa), Kenya

With 56% of the Kenyan population below 19 years and another 20% aged between 19 and 35, youth polytechnics are Kenya’s single most important institutions in providing vocational skills for self-employment for the youth. Training young people in Kenya to start their own enterprise is vital. Many live in remote areas which don’t have support from big business so importance of having a skill and the confidence to use to earn a living locally is vital for these young people.

However, research and studies carried out recently indicate that the performance of the institutions is greatly undermined by three key factors: weak management, inadequate curriculum and being under resourced.

The Training for Enterprise Development (TED) scheme run by VSO supports youth polytechnics as they work to improve resources, train employees in management skills, train others to become future trainers and develop their curricula. This support is something that hasn’t been available for thirty years and something that Sjoerd Spaanjaars thinks means the youth polytechnics are still ten years behind their development goals.

VSO volunteer Sjoerd Spaanjaars went to Mwbayanyundo, Kenya in February 2006. He was sent as a business adviser to work with TED to look at how the Mwbayanyundo youth polytechnics operates and to streamline different processes to make what it does more effective. ‘The skills I use here are the same as I use in Holland’ says Sjoerd. ‘I have to hold back a little – to work a little slower. There’s a phrase here – pola pola – which means easy easy. The thing is, whilst things might be easy easy on the surface, communicating is far more nuanced in Kenya as compared to Europe.’

In his role as a business adviser, Sjoerd has to improve the relevance of the courses the polytechnic offers; conduct a needs assessment and advise on courses for the market; advise on income generating activities for the polytechnic and improve organisational and administrative competencies.

Whilst Sjoerd is a business manager and makes an impact in the background, he believes in going out and meeting people face-to-face as it gives him a better understanding of how the entire organisation works. ‘A good example of the benefits of my work with the Youth Polytechnic and how that in turn benefits other people can be seen with the women’s group. They were educated by the YP in their trade. They have been trained in using the shamba or family farm here, it is self-maintained so they do the business themselves. They maintain the field themselves as well as the crops. Importantly, the women here also train other groups in the area who are interested in agriculture – they are passing on knowledge gained from the polytechnic. This knowledge sharing wouldn’t be possible without the polytechnic.'

The progress made by the YP is impressive as Sjoerd remarks ‘The managers that work in the YP are trained. The quality of inspectors has improved significantly, the premises are cleaner than they’ve ever been and the new equipment and classrooms indicate a significant step forward for the youth polytechnic.’

‘There is a noticeable impact on the local community if the YP is doing well. If they have lots of trainees, if they have relevant products (courses) then the community will benefit. It means that people will know the Mwabayanyundo Youth Polytechnic as the one where you get the best skills and the best training. This will draw people in so the community will grow, it will be better trained and it will hopefully be able to stand on its own without our help.’

Anderson Kazungu, treasurer with the polytechnic realises the impact Sjoerd’s work has had, ‘Sjoerd joined us as a volunteer in business management and he is currently assisting us in improving the way we work. Just recently he has helped us in preparation of our budget. We can now see a way forward in that we are going to have an accurate budget where we are only dealing with what we have and not what we expect to get.’

Bangladesh
Cambodia
Cameroon
China
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Guyana
India
Indonesia
Kenya
Malawi
Maldives
Mongolia
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal
Nigeria
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Tajkistan
Tanzania
Thailand/Burma
Uganda
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Zambia
Zimbabwe