200 Youth to receive startup tools after vocational skilling

Nov 08, 2018

Each of the students is expected to return home with a machine of your trade to enable them start practicing and earning from the skills they have acquired.

SKILLING


BUSABALA - Government has pledged to provide start up tools to a group of 200 youth scouts undergoing vocational training at Kaazi training campsite Busabala.

Speaking during the launch of Uganda Scouts Association at Kaazi Training Campsite in Busabala yesterday, the State House comptroller Lucy Nakyobe said the equipment, which is expected to be provided to the students in December this year, will help them start their own businesses.

“Each of you will return home with a machine of your trade to enable you start practicing and earning from the skill you have acquired.” Nakyobe said. The equipment to be provided to the students includes: tailoring machines, hammers, utility knives, helmets and safety glasses.

 

 





During the launch, students exhibited samples of works designed during the ongoing three months training that started in October and will end in December.

Uganda Scouts Association is one of the grant projects of Skills Development Facility (SDF) which received sh316m as a donation from World Bank and Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) with an aim of reducing unemployment in the country.

A total of 200 vulnerable youths were identified by district coordinators from different communities to help them acquire skills that would earn them a living.

PSFU project Manager Richard Kamya said the programme has raised hope for the youths who dropped out of school due to lack of funds and teenage pregnancies.

He revealed that the youth are being equipped with knowledge in welding, tailoring, carpentry, metal fabrication, embroidery and poultry keeping, by Uganda Prison’s Training Vocational Department.


Teddy Atim from Soroti district disclosed that she dropped out of school at the age of 18 in 2012. “I quit school before I completed S.4 and after giving birth, I saw no hope of joining school again,” she said.


Atim, a tailoring student, believes her life has changed because she is capable of providing for her child and entire family.

“I am very grateful to the Scouts Association and SDF for giving us a new ray of hope. Am sure after December, I will be able to set up my workshop to sustain my son and my family members.” Atim said.


Pius Okubal from Kumi district resorted to growing maize and peas after dropping out of S.1 in his second term. Both Okubal and his parents could not raise 200,000 shillings needed for his school fees. However, he is optimist that with welding, he will be able to complete his s.4 and attain his Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE).

 

Gen. Edward Katumba, Chief Commissioner of the Uganda Scouts Association said giving the youths money without a skill is wasteful because they never get to understand the value of the money.


“If we gave these youths money, that would be wasteful but with the skills, they have received a life time investment worth more than money or books.” Gen. Katumba emphasized.

He added, with Uganda strongly venturing into industrialization and several other infrastructure projects like roads, its hands on skills that are marketable not people with education. Ruth Biyinzika, Head Skills Development Facility advised the recruits to focus on acquiring skills which would earn them opportunities in the Oil and Gas industry which is a new venture in Uganda.

“We look forward to supporting many youths in the field of Oil and Gas industry. The industry is still fresh with a lot employment opportunities so as you learn welding, focus on such projects.”  Said Biyinzika.

Besides vocational skills, the youths were also taken through scouting and patriotic classes to groom their morals, spirituality and mindset.


Background
According to a report by World Bank, the rate of unemployment stands at 2.91% in Uganda and 90% of the people under the age of 25 years have no employment-Uganda Bureau of Standards (UBOS) statistics 2016.

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