Government, UNICEF partner with universities to equip youth with 21st century skills

In a transformative move to address youth unemployment and enhance skills development, the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, in partnership with UNICEF Uganda and 15 universities, today unveiled FunDoo, a digital life coach app designed to empower young Ugandans with 21st-century skills.

Mondo Kyateka, Assistant Commissioner Youth and Children’s Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development while speaking at the event held today in Kampala said, “77 percent of Uganda’s population are children and youth, below the age of 30 years, of which 64% are unemployed. FunDoo presents a platform through which young people can get equipped with 21st-century and employability skills, while preparing them for their future.”

The most critical 21st-century skills are 4 including: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creative Thinking.

These skills are intended to help young people (in school & out-of-school) to keep with the pace of today’s modern workspaces and industries. Mondo further urged young people to consider technology to better their skills, by signing onto chatbots such as FunDoo, which is readily available at no cost both via text and WhatsApp 24 hours 7 days a week, making learning timely whenever required.

Khushbakht Hojiev, Adolescent Development Manager UNICEF Uganda said, “At UNICEF Uganda, we believe in advancing greater skilling opportunities amongst young people by offering 21st-century skills through tools such as ‘FunDoo,’ a digital life coach. We recognize that a multi-sectoral approach that blends UNICEF Uganda with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, together with all the 15 partner Universities will deliver a progressive change in accelerating 21st-century skilling amongst young people faster.”

Khushbakht said that the rapidly changing future-ready skills and the new ways of learning done even outside schools is what makes the app relevant for young people. It is unique for offering experiential learning, giving learners content through tasks where they choose the skills they want and embark on an engaging and fun learning experience. Its bite-sized modules take 30-45 minutes to complete and have specific learning outcomes, while the self-paced structure provides learners with the flexibility to complete tasks wherever they are.

Okot Francis, President of the Uganda National Students Association, said, “The teaching we have been getting doesn’t give us all the skills we need. I appreciate the soft skills being captured in the new lower secondary school curriculum. For us who are graduating now, we need to embrace this app to support us to adapt to the changing environment of work, which is unpredictable and requires both class and soft skills.”

With this app, young people can access a range of information from 21st-century skills like communication and problem solving to career development, employability skills, mental health, climate change, gender-based violence, vaccine uptake, and more. This prepares them to seize opportunities and confront challenges in a rapidly changing world, enabling them to make informed decisions, become responsible citizens, and achieve their full potential. Khushbakht further emphasized, “Due to its chat-based medium, the app provides access to learning with low internet connectivity, making it accessible to all young people, including those in hard-to-reach areas. For learners in areas that don’t have internet access, we encourage them to use the SMS-based version,’ which equally offers free skills for young people.”

Once a task is completed, young people can get automated certificates and giveaways in the form of skills badges, certificates, and learner boards to track their learning journeys. Workshops and webinars are also organized to incentivize highly engaged users.

To ensure data protection, the app gathers very limited personal information and keeps the data private and secure. Participating universities and associations include the Uganda National Students Association, Makerere University Kampala, Makerere University Business School, Uganda Christian University, Busitema University, Gulu University, Lira University, Muni University, Kampala International University, Soroti University, Kabale University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Muteesa I University, King Caesar University, and St. Lawrence University.