UCU launches hub to refine students into business creators

The era of graduating students with only skills to write applications seeking for good paying white collar jobs is gradually phasing out.

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has launched a business incubation centre through which students will be able to acquire practical business skills.

According to Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, the UCU vice-chancellor, the university business school is going to train the students with practical business skills that will turn them into real business men and women.





Mushengyezi reported that through the partnership with the Hanze University of Applied Sciences foundation in the Netherlands, they have received a funding of sh62m for this project.

Elsie Nsiyona, the head of department of entrepreneurship and management, said for the last two years, they have been practicing this project and that the pioneer students have already started reaping from it.  

Nsiyona said they have so far started with 25 business groups including four to five students who will go through the process for three months.  

Dr. Martin Lwanga, the dean of business and administration faculty, said universities had ordinarily been presumed as places to organise students to get ready to look for jobs, a norm UCU has already changed in the past two years into a place empowering students to start businesses.



Nsiyona said they will also consider training the business men and women outside the university in short courses like book keeping, business management skills, among others.

Shakira Nangobi, a third year student of project planning and entrepreneurship, said she managed to start a business where she makes children's crochets, which helps her easrn sh180,000 a month.



Nangobi believes that if she transforms from making the crochets manually by herself, gets an electric sewing machine and starts employing other colleagues, it will become a well-paying business that can sustain her financially.