BQ Correspondent 
Under the partnership UoN will offer training to SMEs supplying raw materials to Haco on how to appropriately harvest and refine quality essential oils.[photo/UoN}
Haco Industries has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Nairobi (UoN) Department of Chemistry that will see students from the varsity get industry training.
The university will in turn avail its equipment, manpower, and research facilities to the manufacturing firm.
Speaking during the signing ceremony Haco Industries Manufacturing Director Peter Ndichu stated that the first-of-its-kind MoU will offer students job exposure to complement the knowledge they get in class.
“We will attach the students to various departments at Haco for a period of between three to six months to enable them apply the book knowledge they get in a practical environment,” said Ndichu.
During their period at Haco, the students will also be taught basic bookkeeping, sales, and marketing techniques which Ndichu says will be pivotal in inculcating the entrepreneurial mindset in them.
”The industrial training program will not just be about work. The students will be taught on how to be street smart, how to interpret a balance sheet, how to make a profit and loss account. These skills will enable them to run successful entrepreneurial ventures, “said Haco MD Mary-Ann Musangi.
Under the partnership UoN will offer training to SMEs supplying raw materials to Haco on how to appropriately harvest and refine quality essential oils.
They will also offer advice to Haco on appropriate eco-friendly ways to manage waste that is generated from its manufacturing plants.
“We have a staff of over 70 skilled persons, some of the best students in the country and tons of research papers on responsible consumption and waste management by industries. Haco will definitely benefit from this,”stated Prof David Kariuki, the Head of the Chemistry Department at UoN.
Haco has also indicated that it is planning to forge similar partnerships with other institutions as part of its strategy to help bridge the mismatch of skills offered by higher learning institutions and what the industry needs.
