A Swisscontact study has found that Kenya’s industry-led dual apprenticeship programme delivers measurable financial returns for businesses while improving employment prospects for young people, offering evidence that skills development can help address labour shortages and youth unemployment.
The independent study, conducted by consulting firm Orange & Teal on behalf of Swisscontact, found that companies participating in the PropelA Dual Apprenticeship Programme achieve an average 30% return on training investment, generate about Ksh2 million (USD15,400) in net value per company, and recover their investment within three years.
The findings were presented today at the PropelA Business Impact and Investment Insights breakfast attended by business leaders, government officials, development partners and industry representatives.
Speaking during the presentation Sharon Mosin, Swisscontact Kenya Country Director said nearly 87% of the value created by the programme comes from productivity gains generated by apprentices during their training, underscoring the contribution of workforce skills to business performance.
“The findings challenge us to rethink how we view skills development. Skills are not simply a social investment. They are economic infrastructure,” she noted.
She added that “When businesses invest in skills, they are investing in their own future.”
The report comes as Kenya seeks to expand industrialisation and create jobs under the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), while employers continue to report difficulties recruiting workers with practical, industry-relevant skills.
Swisscontact said the country’s skills shortages and youth unemployment reflect a disconnect between education, labour market needs and enterprise demand.
The PropelA programme seeks to bridge that ap by combining classroom instruction with structured workplace training, allowing apprentices to gain practical experience while earning nationally recognised qualifications.
Since its launch, the programme has partnered with more than 70 companies, trained over 400 apprentices and recorded an employment rate exceeding 80%, according to Swisscontact.
Mosin said the findings demonstrate that youth unemployment and skills shortages are closely linked and can be addressed through employer-led workforce development.
“When employers become co-investors in skills, businesses gain productivity, young people gain opportunity, and the economy gains a stronger workforce,” she averred.
Initially focused on electrical and plumbing trades, PropelA has expanded into welding, lift and escalator maintenance, general maintenance services and selected hospitality occupations. Swisscontact said the model could also be adapted for manufacturing, energy, transport and agribusiness sectors.The organisation said the study provides evidence that industry-led apprenticeship programmes can strengthen enterprise productivity while supporting job creation and building a skilled workforce needed to sustain Kenya’s economic growth.
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