| dc.description.abstract | The Kenyan university education system has been criticized for
graduating students who are underprepared to meet the skills
demand of the modern workplace, and who cannot formulate
effective solutions to our most pressing socio-economic
problems. To address the skills gap for Computer Science (CS)
students, a structured 6-month mentorship program was
designed to offer skills in personal and professional
development, innovation, scholarship application, and
community engagement. This paper presents the results of a
mixed-method study comprising of 95 CS students from 12
Kenyan universities who have participated in the mentorship
program since September 2016. The study examines if structured
mentorship leads to successful upskilling for CS students. The
findings indicate that at least 81% of the students in the
mentorship program improve in skills such as innovation and
professional preparedness. Results from this study demonstrate
how CS education can be complemented with a structured
mentorship model towards global competitiveness. | en_US |
