By Dennis Gichuiri
Macmillan Medical Training College has launched two new empowerment initiatives aimed at expanding access to education and skills training for disadvantaged youth and women across the country.
Speaking during the launch of the Afya Bora Scholarship Program and the Women in Tech Empowerment Program, the institution’s Director Josephat Moses said the initiatives are intended to address barriers that prevent many young Kenyans from accessing higher education and employment opportunities.
“The Afya Bora Scholarship Program will offer full and partial sponsorships to students pursuing accredited healthcare and medical training, while the Women in Tech Empowerment Program will provide fully sponsored technology and innovation training for women aged between 18 and 40 years in partnership with NIA Innovation and Technology Training College,” he said.
According to the college, the programs are designed to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are unable to afford college fees despite having the potential to succeed academically and professionally.
The institution noted that Kenya continues to face challenges including youth unemployment, economic hardships for families, and shortages in healthcare personnel, even as the global economy increasingly shifts toward digital innovation and technology-driven skills.
The college said the scholarship initiative seeks to help bridge the healthcare workforce gap by training healthcare assistants, caregivers, community health workers, emergency responders, and other medical professionals needed to support the country’s Universal Health Coverage agenda.
At the same time, the Women in Tech Empowerment Program aims to increase women’s participation in technology, innovation, digital entrepreneurship, and emerging technologies, sectors where women remain underrepresented globally.
The institution stated that both programs align with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda and will operate under accredited TVET standards regulated by TVETA and CDACC to ensure practical and competency-based training.
During the launch, the college also appealed to the government to expand Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) support and other educational financing opportunities to students enrolled in accredited private colleges and TVET institutions.
The institution argued that deserving students in private institutions should have equal access to educational support regardless of where they study, saying the issue goes beyond institutional interests and touches on national development, unemployment reduction, healthcare strengthening, and youth empowerment.
The college further said the initiatives are aligned with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, innovation and infrastructure, and good health and well-being.
The institution called on media organizations and stakeholders to help amplify awareness of the programs in order to reach vulnerable students and communities across the country.
