Photo of Eyob on campus by Amref Ethiopia and the Kefeta Program team.

Kefeta: A Mindset Shift Makes for a Brighter Future

Ethiopia has an ingrained cultural emphasis on attending college and receiving a degree. However, receiving career readiness before graduation is still a developing concept. Eyob, 21, is a fourth-year Electronic Mechatronics major. While he is looking forward to graduation, he also worries about life after school.

He tells a painful yet familiar story of his peers who worked hard to get a good education only to enter a world with an extremely limited workforce. With an outlook like this, Eyob is having a hard time staying motivated. “For four years, all I focused on was how to be a student. I had not thought ahead of holding my degree. In hindsight, I realize that my lack of action stemmed from the fact that most of the students that graduated before me are unemployed,” reflects Eyob.

Kefeta initiated a series of trainings on campus specifically focused on developing life skills, effective work habits, and the art and science of looking for and landing gainful employment. Eyob was one of the first-round trainees. “The training exposed me to ways of looking for work. I understood that it is not about sitting and waiting or applying for just one job and waiting for a response. This has been a major shift in how I think about my future. I learned how to strategize.”

Eyob is now well versed in goal setting, dynamic approaches to looking for a job, entrepreneurship, and managing emotions. “I feel like this training is as equally important as the degree that I am receiving,” he adds.

A mindset shift can make all the difference!