We
wish to tell you the truth. We wish to let you know of the true picture of the
current situation of this career field. It is important that you read what we
have and then you make your own informed decision.
Compared
to ten years ago, the marketability of engineering courses in Kenya has dropped
significantly. However, there are still some engineering courses in Kenya that
are marketable. These are;
- Civil
Engineering.
- Electrical
Engineering.
The
marketability of mechanical engineering is not as high as that of the two
courses above. The marketability of other engineering courses like agricultural
engineering has remained flat (unchanged) over the past years. However, the course is receiving a lot of competition from graduates who have done agricultural economics and agribusiness.
The
marketability of civil engineering and electrical engineering has been boosted
by the establishment of the county governments. Electrical engineering has also
received a major boost from many ICT firms that have set up their bases in
Kenya. Indeed the demand for electrical engineers is threatening the
marketability of telecommunication engineering graduates.
Some
engineering courses like production engineering, plant engineering and medical
engineering leaves many graduates at a greater risk of being unemployed. However,
there is always the option of being self-employed. But for a course like plant
engineering, self-employment may imply doing something that is totally different
from what an individual studied for in campus.
The
job market for chemical engineers became clogged way before 2009. Chemical
engineering graduates relied heavily on the cement manufacturing firms, sugarcane processing firms and the Changamwe oil refinery for jobs. However, due to
high operational costs and unconducive business environment in Kenya and in the region, most of these firms are unable to absorb many graduates. Indeed
many manufacturing companies pulled out of Kenya in 2014.
Focus on Retail,
Expatriates Hurting Job Market
There
are little efforts that are being put to lower the costs that make it difficult
for manufacturing firms to thrive in Kenya. One such cost is the cost of
electricity. The cost of electricity has discouraged investors from entering
the manufacturing and processing sector in Kenya.
While
manufacturing and processing firms are finding it difficult to operate in
Kenya, many retail ventures are thriving in Kenya. These retail ventures range
from shopping malls to super markets to mini-supermarkets. However, these
retail ventures only create jobs for tellers since much of the goods they sell
are imported goods.
If
the same amount of commitment and investment is put into local manufacturing
and processing sectors then a broad range of job opportunities will be created
for engineers and other professions.
Hundreds
of thousands of roads have been tarmacked in Kenya since 2007. The construction
of these roads could have earned local engineers a lot of income. However, most
of these roads were constructed by foreign firms which brought their own
engineers to work as expatriates.
Expatriates in the
Construction Sector
Chinese
firms are doing booming business in the building and construction of houses,
sky scrapers, shopping malls and other such structures. These firms only hire
Kenyans to provide unskilled labour. The design of these structures is mostly
done by expatriates. This has further put a lot of pressure on the available
jobs for Kenyan engineers.