GOVERNMENT | REFUGEES | RESEARCHERS | VOCATIONAL 

Researchers have said that vocational skills training among youth is improving the quality of life for refugee communities in Uganda, and efforts to promote them should be intensified.

Research has found that putting vocational skills training at the forefront has helped refugee youth to access and gain practical skills, which not only leads to self-employment but also improves the well-being of their communities.

This was revealed by a tracer study and labor market assessment to establish the status of Nakivaale Vocational Training Centre (NVTC) graduates living within the Nakivaale refugee settlement in Kampala and Mbarara urban centers and those who relocated to other communities within Uganda.

The study was conducted in 2020 by Windle International Uganda (WIU) and commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a UN agency mandated to aid and protect refugees.

The study found that 41% of the youth were either employed or owned a business in various forms, such as dressing and salon businesses; carpentry workshops, and tailoring shops.

While presenting the findings, Hilda Namakula Masaba, the research and innovations officer at WIU, said skills empower youth to be change-makers, by becoming entrepreneurs, strategic partners, and advocates for development in their communities.

The study showed how it also fosters interactions between generations of adults and young people, which contributes to the overall welfare and security.

“Once the youth are empowered, they can have inter-generational solidarity, where the older youth support the younger ones. They also work with their parents to improve the livelihoods of communities,” Masaba said."

Instead of relying on cash handouts, she said the communities need to support the youth in their resilience and collective growth through facilitating projects where they work in groups.

“Youth projects are most feasible when social networks are involved." Youth prefer challenges and achievement compared to handouts. They want to feel the process of starting a business and growing it into a sustainable enterprise,” Masaba said."

The research found that key marketable skills include tailoring and garments, hairdressing, and automotive mechanics, according to the youth and community members.

Richard Mugume, the principal of NVTC, noted that their courses were categorized into formal and non-formal, which are examined by the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB) and the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT), respectively.

He said Senior Four graduates enroll for the national certificate, while the non-formal arrangement is open to everyone, regardless of their educational background.

According to the labor market assessment, 38% of the respondents prefer training in tailoring and garment cutting, 27% prefer salon and hairdressing, 25% prefer automotive mechanics, and 18% prefer building and construction.

Community Involvement 

Gloria Athieno, the WIU Mbarara regional monitoring, and evaluation coordinator noted that through the training, youth were prepared for the job market because they acquired emotional intelligence development skills, understood financial management, and took control of their decisions.

Athieno also called for ICT training to help them market their products online and connect with different people.

Robert Bahenyangi, the director of programs at WIU, said despite the favorable open-door policy that allows refugees to get an education and work, refugee youth are facing challenges in fitting into the national Technical, Vocational, and Training (TVET) policy.

Government launched the TVET policy in 2019 with a vision of having a coordinated, labor-market responsive system that produces a skilled, high-quality, competent workforce that is employable and responsive to national needs.