Chamber of Commerce, UK University to provide skilled labour

Nov 13, 2015

The Uganda National Chamber has partnered with the University of Wolverhampton, in the UK to help industrialists get skilled manpower from Universities, Vocational and other training institutions in Uganda

By Prossy Nandudu

The Uganda National Chamber has partnered with the University of Wolverhampton, in the UK to help industrialists get skilled manpower from Universities, Vocational and other training institutions in Uganda.


The university is majoring in knowledge, innovation and Enterprise.

The partnership is in response to the skills development challenge among industrialists Uganda which is increasing the cost of production.

Michael Galabuzi, the Secretary General of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce made the remarks on Wednesday morning in the meeting with officials from the Wolverhampton University at Sheraton Kampala Hotel.

Galabuzi explained that they are looking at training through incubation centers, capacity building and also to share best practices on how the skills can be transferred from students to employers.

“ We are looking at developing skills through professional training and  this collaboration is to share best practices of  how we can transfer the skills  so that we have labor that is relevant to our industry ,” Galabuzi.

He said that as chamber they are calling on institutions to make sure that their curriculum is more practical and relevant to the job market.

 “You find that the curriculum is more theoretical, when  graduates come out they lack the practical skill  which is a complete disconnect  between the  employer and what the graduate has to offer so we need to realign them,” Galabuzi said .

He said that through such partnerships members of the chamber will have no problems with quality skilled manpower.

The partnership is looking at areas that will unlock the economic growth of the country like tourism, agriculture oil and gas, ICT among others.

Marc Fleetham, the director and in charge Industry and graduate placement programs at the university explained that they want to bridge the gap between the student and the employer by following them up from school to an organization.

He said that problem of skilled manpower is not unique to Ugandan companies and industries but world over as students are not graduating with practical skills.

“Students are graduating with higher qualification but have no practical skill to apply in the company where he or she is placed. The employer is disappointed, the student has no idea and no kind of experience on what or she will be doing at the company,” said Fleetham.
 
He explained that they will involve a student for close to one year and some of the practical experiences in between the school time.

“We are not just looking at placing students in organizations for practical but are thinking of getting students get ready for work, the idea of keeping a student for only 30 or even 60 days is not enough,” he added.

Fleetham added that they have a network of partners with experience in student mentorship and monitoring to ensure that students placed in different countries are ably monitored and facilitated as per the University and Chamber of commerce rules.

At the end of this all students are assured of employment not only at home but in the UK because there are employment opportunities for graduate students through such partnerships.
 

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