How Shs1.6b project will spur green jobs among youths
Officials from different partner organisations in the GreenVET4U project pose for a group photo during the launch at MUBS in Kampala on March 22. Photo | Busein Samilu
What you need to know:
- Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at MUBS on Friday, March 22, the managing director of Aspire Education Group Gmbh, Ms Patricia Lamour said that the project aims at ensuring that young entrepreneurs create jobs in a manner that will keep the environment safe.
A Shs1.5b (€400,000) GreenVET4U project has been unveiled to create sustainable green jobs among youths and women.
Co-funded by the European Union, the project will be implemented by five partners including; Makerere University Business School (MUBS), National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) and Great Lakes Safaris from Uganda, Aspire from Germany, Spain-based INFODEF and CSF – Italy.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at MUBS on Friday, March 22, the managing director of Aspire Education Group Gmbh, Ms Patricia Lamour said that the project aims at ensuring that young entrepreneurs create jobs in a manner that will keep the environment safe.
“We are starting with a pilot that is running between December 2023 and November 2026 and we shall train 50 youths and 10 trainers from two Ugandan institutions including MUBS in waste management, and Great Lakes Safaris in Eco-tourism,” she said,
These will in turn train other youths and women who will be supported to create more jobs, to bridge the current unemployment gap, especially among youths.
The project’s overall director who doubles as the project coordinator at INFODEF, Mr Jesus Boyano said that they will equip Ugandan vocational education and training (VET) providers and employers to design and deliver innovative curricula in skills for green jobs.
“We want to enhance the labour market relevance of skills provision in Uganda, co-create a set of innovative training contents and digitally supported tools to upskill Ugandan VET practitioners and in-company trainers, design and deliver innovative curricula in skills for green jobs, and test skills during the project by adapting the design of innovative curricula to eco-tourism and waste-management related jobs,” he said.
In his remarks, the deputy Director of Research, Consultancy and Library Services at NCDC, Dr Richard Irumba said that they will support the project by ensuring that the entrepreneurship subject is included in all course units so that it helps the learners.
“We as a government are aware of the available mismatch of the number of graduates and the available jobs that is why we value the role played by entrepreneurship in imparting skills among youth and for this program, we shall provide the necessary required support,” he said.
In his speech, the Ag Principal MUBS Prof Moses Muhwezi said that the program will help train youths to engage in entrepreneurship activities as well as protect the environment.
