The Grant to Advance Employability and Innovation
Mount Kenya University (MKU), in collaboration with its partners in the Africa Centre for Career Enhancement and Skill Support (ACCESS 2.0) project, has been awarded a €4.5 million grant to sustain and expand its groundbreaking initiatives. The project, which began in 2020, has been renewed for an additional five years due to its exceptional performance in enhancing employability and knowledge transfer.
ACCESS 2.0 is led by Prof. Dr. Utz Dornberger, Principal Investigator (PI) at Leipzig University, alongside co-principal investigators (Co-PIs) from partner institutions. At MKU, Dr. Henry Yatich, a seasoned management scientist specializing in employability skills, entrepreneurship, and innovation, serves as Co-PI and Project Coordinator. Under Dr. Yatich’s leadership, MKU successfully submitted three program activities to be implemented in the next phase of the project, leveraging a service-learning framework to bridge academia and industry.
Key Achievements from the First Phase (2020-2024)
During the first phase, the ACCESS consortium achieved significant milestones, including:
- Awarding Ph.D. scholarships to advance academic capacity.
- Building staff competencies through targeted capacity-building programs.
- Organizing summer schools and academic conferences.
- Developing innovative pedagogical approaches to foster knowledge transfer between higher education institutions (HEIs) and industry.
Transformative Activities for the Second Phase
- AI-Driven National Entrepreneurship Curriculum
MKU spearheads the review and development of a national undergraduate entrepreneurship curriculum, utilizing AI to monitor student progress across 10 Kenyan universities. This curriculum introduces capstone assignments in place of traditional continuous assessment tests and end-of-semester exams, equipping students with practical entrepreneurial skills. Partner universities include Kenyatta, Strathmore, KCA, TUK, Karatina, and others.
The initiative seeks to address the challenge of rising university enrollment amidst dwindling employment opportunities by promoting entrepreneurship as a catalyst for start-ups and SME growth. The project will collaborate with industry experts to integrate the platform into the universities’ learning management systems.
- Problem-Based Service-Learning for MBA Students
The project introduces a service-learning module in research methodology for MBA students, developed in partnership with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE). The module will enable MBA students to engage with MSMEs and conduct case studies as part of their research work. The initiative aims to enroll at least 20 students annually, equipping them with real-world problem-solving skills.
- ACCESS Student Clubs (ACS) and Business Incubation
The formation of ACCESS Student Clubs across the 10 universities will foster entrepreneurship through collaborative business idea competitions. Each year, the top team from each university will participate in a 7-day bootcamp and compete nationally. By 2029, the initiative aims to incubate 10 start-ups per institution and involve at least 100 students in business incubation programs, with a target of 40% female participation.
Advancing Practical Learning Through Industry Partnerships
MKU is at the forefront of enhancing practical learning through strategic collaborations with industry bodies such as FKE and KAM. These partnerships, along with regulators like the Commission for University Education (CUE), are pivotal in strengthening graduate competitiveness and bridging the skills gap in Kenya’s labor market.
By integrating innovative teaching methodologies, service-learning modules, and industry collaboration, MKU and ACCESS 2.0 are poised to transform higher education in Kenya, empowering graduates to thrive in an increasingly dynamic global economy.
Previous ACCESS 1.0 Accomplishments include
