This archive report was first published on 15 August 2019.
As the academic year comes to a close, university students across the country are gearing up for their industrial attachments. However, the process of securing a placement is not as straightforward as it seems. Between March and April, Martha Muigai, a fourth-year electrical engineering student at the University of Nairobi, scoured the Internet, mailing applications for industrial attachment to several organisations. Despite her efforts, she received no feedback, and was left with no choice but to teach herself coding at home.
With her own laptop and free online courses on coding, Ms Muigai has been able to complete many projects. Since April, she hasn't bothered looking for industrial attachment. 'I have been coding from home since I didn't get formal placement for industrial attachment. I have completed many coding projects on my own and I know that the skills I have acquired will help me in my fifth-year project when school reopens in September,' she says.
Ms Muigai's experience is not unique. Many students face numerous challenges when seeking industrial attachment, including lack of knowledge on industry operations, scarcity of opportunities, and stringent requirements. In an interview with The Standard, Raphael Maithya, Business Development Manager at Amazon Fronts Limited, urged students to elaborate on the courses they are pursuing and to highlight the strengths they have gained while studying. 'Give a detailed account of the strengths you have gathered while pursuing the particular course. If you are a finance student, say that you have read about quick books, filing returns and any other skills that are relevant in accounting,' he advised.
According to Patrick Amunavi, a senior official at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology's communications department, the industry is increasingly placing hurdles in the way of students looking for industrial attachment. 'These days, it is mandatory for students to have medical cover before they are taken in for industrial attachment. Sometimes, the recruiter takes them through a lot of trouble acquiring these documents then fails to accommodate them,' he says.
Amunavi's comments are echoed by Kenneth Njoroge, the Senior Careers Advisor at Kenyatta University's Centre for Career Development and Placement. 'Searching for industrial attachment is not a walk in the park. Many universities release their students for industrial attachment almost at the same time exposing them to stiff artificial competition,' he says.
