• The Digital Talents Programme was launched on February 10, 2015, by the President, designed to build and entrench ICT capacity in government.
• So far, 900 interns have graduated from this programme and are working in different sectors.
Image: FILE
Four hundred new beneficiaries were yesterday inducted into President Uhuru Kenyatta's Digital Talent Programme.
The fourth cohort interns will be attached to various ministries, departments and agencies for the next 12 months.
ICT Principal Secretary Jerome Ochieng presided over the induction at the Kenya School of Government, Lower Kabete.
The PS said the interns will be assigned mentors some of whom are top industry players.
Ochieng said ICT is an enabler of all sectors, particularly in the government's Big Four Agenda.
The interns will be deployed in the departments that are implementing programmes under the economic blueprint namely: manufacturing, Universal Health Coverage, food security and affordable housing.
Ochieng said the interns will be trained in project management, information security, applications, networks and innovation.
"During your internship, you will play a critical role in the digitisation of government processes including the eCitizen portal, Huduma Centre, NTSA, eHealth, Education, land registry, roll out of Digital Literacy Programme, and revamping most of the ministries' websites," Ochieng said.
The interns have already been trained in various fields like ICT, communication, law, medicine, built environment, agriculture and education but have a great passion for the use of ICT.
The Digital Talents Programme was launched on February 10, 2015, by the President.
It is designed to build and entrench ICT capacity in government to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery.
So far, 900 interns have graduated from this programme and are currently implementing their hands-on skills and experience in different sectors of the economy.
Ochieng urged the interns to give their best in terms of expertise to support the implementation of all government programmes and policies.
This, he said, will be done in adherence to the Public Service Code of Conduct.
"This will give you competitive advantage whenever opportunities for employment arise," Ochieng said.
He said there have been over 30 innovations from Presidential Digital Talent Programme which are geared towards the improvement of government service delivery.
"Nevertheless, this programme has incubated three winning innovations from cohort two among them: Damu Sasa, Workers on Tap and the Digitalent Management Portal," he said.
The government has opened up support to innovations by launching the Whitebox Project, which is a hub to aid innovators who seek government support to incubate their ideas, Ochieng said.
He encouraged the interns to take advantage of the platform to nurture their innovations.
Ochieng said he expects that at the end of the internship interns will be equipped in soft skills, employability and be ready for deployment.
Edited by R.Wamochie