Government skilling projects producing unskilled graduates - research
Ms Susan Namatovu (left) a member of the Kikyusa Development Association of the blind demonstrates her sweater knitting skills at their home in Kikyusa Sub-county, Luweero District. PHOTO/ DAN WANDERA
A Makerere University research on the impact of government investment into skilling youth and women, shows that majority of graduates are semi-skilled.
While releasing the report on Friday, Dr Anthony Tibaingana, the principal researcher in the College of Business and Management Science at Makerere University, said the study reveals that the institutions are being run by people who are not trained to provide appropriate skills.
The research was done in the metropolitan region which comprises Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono in August covering 240 respondents.
“The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of skilling youth and women. Government has invested a lot in the Uganda Industrial Research Institute, Private Sector Foundation of Uganda, Enterprise Uganda, the Presidential initiative of the Girl-Child and Afrisa,” Dr Tibaingana said.
He said whereas the centres have helped in establishing businesses, they wanted to understand why 90 per cent of the businesses cannot survive for two years.
“Whereas there is skilling, many businesses are failing very fast. So is the skilling contributing to starting of business and helping the business do better? The skilling centres do not have people trained to skill,” he said.
Asked to comment on the kind of qualifications possessed by the trainers, he said majority of them run successful trades within the community and are co-opted to give theoretical training rather than participatory training.
Prof Bruno Lule Yaweh, the deputy principal of the college, hailed the research findings but attributed the death rate of enterprises in the country to lack of skilling among the entrepreneurs.
“These results have come to validate that research which puts Uganda among the most enterprising countries in the world and another which points out skilling as a very important aspect of business startup which means this is a very important finding which we in academia should take up,” he said.
He added that the findings will help people to improve the way they manage businesses.
Some government projects
Uganda Industrial Research Institute is a government parastatal organisation under the auspices of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
The institution that was established by an Act of Parliament in 2002 is a competence and capability centre that champions innovations, translates applied research results into practical applications that lead to high quality efficient industrial products, processes and creates highly skilled human resources.
Enterprise Uganda is a public-private institution designed to support government in realising its objective of promoting the development of Small and Medium Enterprises as the main vehicle for expanding production, providing sustainable jobs and enhancing economic growth.
The Presidential Initiative on Skilling the girl child, is set to reduce the unemployment rates of youthful girls. The skills of baking, tailoring, weaving, shoe-making and hair-dressing are to help them to start up small businesses which can later grow to employ others.
