Construction Plant Operator Jane Njeri’s story
You can do anything you put your mind to”, …..
Jane Nyokabi Njeri confidently proclaims to all young people who want to give up on life. And she knows it very well. Her sheer determination, against all odds of lack of money, unfulfilled promises and a difficult working environment, finally yielded fruits for her as she was able to pay her school fees. She graduated successfully as a plant operator from Sensei Institute of Technology in November 2016, a desire that she had nurtured for long. Jane shares her journey of life with us, a journey that began in 2013 when she only had a thousand shillings.
In the period between 2010-2013, Jane was a volunteer worker for an NGO, a job that earned her no salary. Since getting a salaried employment was proving difficult, and she needed to pay her bills, her situation triggered her to think of enrolling for a skills based course. This, she hoped, would change over her life’s miserable situation. As she thought through which course she would train in, she remembered seeing on various occasions construction plant machinery being ferried along the Nakuru- Nairobi Highway. With that thought, Jane now had her answer – she would become a construction plant operator. This was what she saw as her only way out of her life’s continued frustrations.
Jane had often heard of Sensei Institute of Technology, the leading plant operators training institute in Kenya. She gathered courage to visit the institute in 2013. She was impressed by the training she found going on. Jane particularly loved how the students worked with the motor grader. The encouragement she received from the Principal of Sensei Institute of Technology, Mr. Isaac Karanja, to pursue her dream, was what she needed most at the time. The visit to the school had ignited her passion. She was now fully convinced to become a plant operator. Jane was not intimidated by the male domination in the construction industry, this did not pull her spirits down. She had found the course she desired and wanted to enroll immediately.
However, there were hurdles on her way. Pursuing the course required her to have a driving license but she did not have one. Neither did she have the money to pay for the course. She decided to take up manual work to raise fees to pay for her driving school. Hence she took to washing people’s clothes, a difficult job that many looked down upon. In April 2014, Jane had gathered enough money and enrolled in a driving school. The words of the Bible in Psalms 128;2 “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands” became so true to her.
However, getting the driving licence, was just the beginning of her long journey. She now needed to find a way of studying for plant operations. In March 2015,with a left over of Kshs 1,000 from her savings, Jane made her first school fee down payment to Sensei Institute of Technology. It was a big step of faith since she had no idea how she was going to get the fee balance. She had agreed with the School’s principal to pay in installments. She sort assistance from CDF for a bursary and was promised full fee payment. However, when the bursaries were out, Jane received only Kshs 5,000. She felt cheated but never gave up. To keep her dream alive, Jane decided to visit her dream school Sensei Institute of Technology in July 2015.
While there, she requested to have a photo near her now famous machine– the Motor grader. This Jane hoped, would make her feel like a plant operator, and inspiring her even more. She has kept that photo on her phone to this day.
In 2015, a friend she visited in Nairobi advised her to work in a hotel to raise her fee. She lost the job in less than a month, this was clearly not her type of work. Not one to give up quickly, Jane decided to go to Kitale where she sold fruit juice and fruit salad to raise her fees. The business stabilized and in September 2015 she started more monthly installments to Sensei Institute’s bank account. She paid up her fees through small but routine installments, even at times paying Kshs 1,500. Jane hoped that by the month of October 2016, she would be ready to enroll for her long desired course.
In October 4th 2016, Jane walked into the doors of Sensei Institute of Technology for the October intake. She was given her student ID for the Plant Operations course. Joy was evident in her face, there was jubilation among staff of Sensei Institute who had witnessed her determination for life. A fee balance of kshs 13,000 could no longer be a limit, even the administration could understand that., wouldn't you also? She could, after all, settle it in a few days. She had proven her worth. The motor grader was of course her first choice of machine for training.
Jane is now a certified Plant Operator after successfully passing all her exams. She can now fully operate the Motor grader, Mobile Crane and the Truck Shovel. Jane is encouraging ladies and all young people to never give up. The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. Her one step of faith by paying kshs 1,000 started her long and successful journey to be a plant operator.
Sensei Institute of Technology crowned her “Plant Operator of The Year”. Her story of determination through hardship is one that all of us, particularly the youth can learn from.
…And Yes, “you can do anything you put your mind to”,…Jane’s story will always remind us.
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