Vocational Training and Agency Among Kenyan Youth

Abstract

This chapter explores the ways in which youth in Nairobi, Kenya shape their livelihood trajectories upon obtaining vocational training. In a setting where schooling does not always adequately prepare youth for the workforce and youth face high unemployment rates, Kenyan youth need to seek out alternative opportunities that enable them to secure income-generating activities. In recent years, both governmental and nongovernmental initiatives have emerged to train youth in vocational and entrepreneurial skills and relevant knowledge in an effort to facilitate their entry into and movement within the economic marketplace. Using concepts of agency, including everyday agency, and empowerment this chapter explores how youth engage with the skills they have learned, along with new notions of self, to navigate their opportunities in the marketplace and make decisions about their livelihoods. The chapter also examines the social and economic realities that influence youths’ livelihood opportunities and decisions.