Technical skills becoming scarce

Jua kali artisans at work at Gikomba market, Nairobi. File 

By BONIFACE NGAHU

Posted  Monday, August 4  2014 at  15:53

In Summary

We discussed the shortage of technical skills. I mentioned the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway construction will require thousands technical workers, meaning the supply for such skills in Kenya will be tested by the project.

Recently I called my fundi to repair a roof that was leaking. He assessed the damage and gave an estimate of the cost. He then offered to buy nyama choma (roast meat) since he wanted to consult on some issues.

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He spoke about a business he recently opened in Kitui County and an order for doors and windows he had secured from a construction company there. His dilemma was that a wielder he had employed eloped with a girl and disappeared after doing half the work. Getting a replacement has been quite difficult because, “people are not enrolling for those courses nowadays,” he said.

We discussed the shortage of technical skills. I mentioned the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway construction will require thousands technical workers, meaning the supply for such skills in Kenya will be tested by the project.

The number of universities in Kenya seems to be rising more than that of technical institutions. However, the government is addressing this worrying trend in plans to fund expansion of polytechnics and technical institutions. The ongoing construction projects and devolution will increase demand for such skills and the market might just correct in the medium term.

It appears that such technicians may also need training in soft skills such as customer service and life skills so that they are prepared for the real world of business and entrepreneurship which provides most jobs in Kenya. Good work ethics will ensure that the future technicians will be sustainable and improve their image.

During the discussion, the technician also sought to find out the best bank for a small firm. I told him that Chase Bank is said to be doing well in serving SMEs. I also mentioned Faulu’s Chini kwa Chini advertising drive on low interest rate. However, we finally settled for Equity Bank since they also have a branch in Kitui.

He also talked about plans to open a showroom in Eastleigh, Nairobi. After his curiosity about his business was addressed, he decided to ask about mine. He said he knows I conduct research and wondered whether we have carried out any study on women. Apparently women intrigue him by the way they make personal and business decisions.

I told him that understanding women is quite an uphill task but we have conducted a lot of research. As Market Talk has indicated in the past, women control more than two-third of buying decisions and their purchasing power has been increasing over time.

He said he had some high-end women clients and his friend who sells land along Kangundo Road in Nairobi told him that three quarter of land buyers in his venture were women. I mentioned a handbag content research we carried out some time back and the interesting things we found in Nairobi women’s handbags.

He asked why nowadays there are so many girls wearing tight clothes and short skirts. I responded that women are very expressive and their dress code indicate how they could be feeling inside. The more liberal they dress the better the economy is likely to perform, I observed.

Shorter average length of skirts on the street indicates better the economic prospects. I explained how I presented that concept at a fun research competition in Switzerland. One of the lady judges indicated that as far as she was concerned women dress according to the weather — if it is cold they dress warm, if it is hot they dress light.

I responded that some analysis of stock prices at the New York Stock Exchange over time found that on sunny day investors were more willing to pay higher prices for stocks and the index would trend upwards compared to cold days when they would be more bearish. The mood boosting ability of the sun means we should always enjoy a bit of it when it shines.

Society responds to simple things which have deep meaning for business and the economy.