'Enroll for vocational studies to beat unemployment'

MUKONO - Parents have been urged to encourage their children to enroll for vocational courses at university so as to become job creators.

Elisa Sebbaale, the chairman LC3 Nama sub-county, said this while officiating at the second graduation ceremony of 312 graduates who had enrolled for a one-year Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Program (LEAP) facilitated by Mentor Coach Empower (M.C.E) Uganda.

This was at Nama sub-county headquarters in Mukono district.

LEAP is an alternative year-long education experience that prepares early school leavers to start businesses or find employment, enabling vulnerable youth to leap out of poverty.

M.C.E Uganda delivers programs to the youth in Uganda, teaching entrepreneurship, employability, and leadership skills aimed at improving youth livelihoods.

The programs incorporate mentorship and coaching in the modules in a bid to provide holistic support to young entrepreneurs.

Elisa Sebbaale (2nd-R) hands over a startup kit loan to one of the graduates. (Credit: Jovita Mirembe)

Some of the products displayed at the graduation function. (Credit: Jovita Mirembe)

Sebbaale said that many students have enrolled for non-vocational under graduate programmes in various universities only to end up on the streets looking for jobs which are not readily available instead of creating their own employment.

“This is the reason why we have a big problem of unemployment in our society.

“We have to curb it so that we can achieve development in the country through enrolling students for vocational studies at university level,” he said.

The LEAP graduates, most of whom constituted mainly school dropouts from Nama sub-county, were given startup tools kit loans instead of hard cash.

The idea is that they apply the skills attained during the training and with the help of the tools availed, pay back the loan over time.

James Katumba, the executive director M.C.E Uganda, said the organization imparts vocational skills to school dropouts of ages 15 to 25 which helps them to start up their own businesses.

Solomon Mugambe, the operations manager of M.C.E Uganda, said LEAP started in 2013 in Nama sub-county because it was an operational area for Komo Learning Centers, a partner programme.

He said as many as 500 students  are expected to enroll for their third  cohort programme this year.