Gov't asked to take graduates to Kyankwanzi for job skills

By Henry Sekanjako

KAMPALA - Government has been asked to take all young graduates to the national leadership institute Kyankwanzi and equip them with job-creation skills and integrity so that they can easily acquire jobs.

According to the executive director Uganda Manufactures Association (UMA), Ssebagala Kigozi, many young graduates are failing to find jobs because of lack of guidance on alternative employment opportunities in the country.

“Most of these people finish school when they are still young but nobody takes them on,” he said.

“But if government started engaging these people on how they can start up their own jobs, we would not be having a jobless youth population.”

Ssebagala also advised that while at Kyankwanzi, the graduates can be educated on the Ugandan employment system, honesty and self-presentation to be able to compete on the job market.

“Among the many students that graduate these days only, a few of them can write application letters. So if government engaged them immediately after their university training, the youth will get skills and be fully employed,” he said.

He made the remarks while passing out over 20 interns (graduates) after a one-year internship training on entrepreneurship skills by digital opportunity trust (DOT)-Uganda.

According to the country manager DOT-Uganda, Natalie Kimbugwe, the graduates who got thorough entrepreneurship training acquired skills that require them to start up their own business without necessarily hunting for jobs.

“We trained them on how to become entrepreneurs, so we expect them to practice what they have learnt and so far many have already started up small business,” said Kimbugwe.

“So with the high unemployment rate in Uganda, we need such people to create their own jobs.”

Mary Mirembe, one of the graduate interns, said; “Through the training I have been able to learn a lot. I have started up my own events management business and also learnt about confidence”.

Speaking at the same event, investment matters presidential advisor Anne Babinaga urged graduates to develop the culture of saving and start up their own businesses.