The Strengthening Skills Training Ecosystems & Pathways in Kenya project (STEP) is a seven-year initiative which supports economic development and youth employment in Kenya. STEP will leverage Canadian expertise and market linkages to strengthen pathways to technical, vocational and digital employment for refugees and host community youth in the Kakuma, Kalobeyei, and Dadaab displacement settings in Turkana and Garissa counties. This initiative connects displacement affected youth to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in Kenyan, Canadian and global markets. It will support over 10,000 young refugees and host community members to access quality market-oriented technical and vocational education and training (TVET), acquire in-demand technical, vocational and digital skills, and access contextually relevant business incubation services and support. It places a critical focus on creating sustainable conditions for, and delivering programs that link young people to meaningful work.
STEP employs an innovative dual-pathway approach to enabling equitable economic participation. The first pathway focuses on the increased growth of entrepreneurship ventures led by youth, which involves building the capacity of Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) and Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESOs). It will also provide business incubation services and additionally establish local, self-sustaining digital outsourcing agencies to connect entrepreneurs to the global marketplace. The second pathway aims for enhanced access to fair, safe and inclusive employment by supporting the adaptation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs relevant to Kenyan and international markets. This strategy is reinforced by technical assistance to government duty-bearers to institutionalize inclusion policies and unblock administrative barriers, while also supporting local organizations to address social barriers like time poverty and gender-based violence (GBV) that prevent women’s participation.
How to apply
We are issuing this Call for Expression of Interest to identify local and national CBOs and NGOs working in Kakuma, Kalobeyei and Dadaab refugee camps and surrounding host community villages who wish to collaborate with STEP. Interested organizations are invited to share the name of their organization, contact details including official email and phone, and their expression of interest to collaborate with STEP via this google form by 30th July 2026.
