The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council has warned training institutions against continuing to produce graduates whose skills do not match the demands of the labour market.
The Council says Uganda’s new TVET system is shifting the focus from simply awarding certificates to ensuring that graduates possess practical competencies required by employers and the economy.
TVET Council Executive Director Moses Kasakya said the reforms are designed to make employers and industry central to decisions on what Ugandans should be trained in.
Speaking during a media briefing at the National Media Centre in Kampala, Kasakya said employers must be involved before curricula are developed rather than waiting until graduates enter workplaces to complain about their skills.
“Employers should not wait until a graduate arrives at the workplace to complain that the graduate lacks the required skills. Come into the system earlier,” Kasakya said.
He said employers should provide information on occupations that are growing, technologies that are changing, skills becoming obsolete and emerging competencies required in the workplace.
The Council has established 10 Sector Skills Expert Committees (SSECs) to provide this link between the world of work and TVET institutions.
The committees cover strategic sectors including agriculture and agro-processing, tourism and hospitality, mineral development and manufacturing, science, ICT and creatives.
According to Kasakya, the committees’ recommendations will influence the programmes introduced, curricula revised, areas of investment and the skills that Uganda prioritises
As part of efforts to respond to labour-market needs, the Council has approved 17 National Technician Diploma curricula developed through consultations with industry and TVET providers.
The programmes cover mechanical, electrical, civil engineering and ICT fields.
They include welding and fabrication, mechanical and manufacturing technology, air conditioning and refrigeration, heavy and light automobile technology, electrical and electronics, mechatronics, telecommunications and electronics, roads and bridges construction, water and irrigation, building construction and architecture.
The ICT programmes include cyber security, digital forensics and governance, computer networking, software development, data science and analytics, and multimedia production and motion design.
Kasakya urged colleges offering technology education and training to apply for accreditation to implement the revised programmes.
The Council says the reforms will also change how qualifications are understood.
Kasakya said a TVET qualification should demonstrate that an individual can perform specific tasks to an established occupational standard.
He said employers should therefore be more interested in what a graduate can actually do than merely the certificate they possess.
“In TVET, one’s qualification demonstrates the competence required to perform particular tasks to an established standard,” he said.
He said the ultimate measure of the TVET system should not be the number of certificates issued, but whether graduates have the competence, employability and productivity needed in the workplace.
The Council is also implementing the Uganda TVET Qualifications Framework, which is intended to create clearer pathways for learners to enter, leave and progress through the skills system
The framework will define qualifications, competencies, entry requirements and progression routes while supporting recognition of prior learning, credit transfer and equivalence of qualifications.
Kasakya said this will benefit people who acquired skills outside formal classrooms, including through apprenticeships, workplaces and informal training.
“A learner can enter TVET, acquire a competence, progress to a higher level, re-enter training later, upgrade existing skills or have competences acquired outside the formal classroom assessed and recognised,” he said.
While calling for wider access to TVET, the Council said institutions should not lower standards in the name of helping disadvantaged learners.
Kasakya said poor and low-income learners deserve quality training and qualifications that employers can trust.
He warned that substandard training could leave graduates with certificates that do not correspond to workplace competence, making it difficult for them to secure employment.
The Council will consequently continue registering and licensing TVET providers and trainers and accrediting programmes.
Kasakya said the new TVET architecture is intended to connect labour-market demand, occupational standards, curricula, training, assessment, certification and employment.
He said Uganda’s TVET transformation is ultimately aimed at producing a workforce capable of supporting industrialisation, value addition, productivity and economic transformation.
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