350 Students Enrol for Free Vocational Training at Subway Centre Under President Museveni’s Skilling Initiative

What the report says

A total of 350 students have enrolled in a six-month free vocational training programme at Subway Skilling Centre in Kampala, according to Watchdog Uganda. The new class is the centre’s eighth cohort and is being supported through the Presidential Initiative on Skilling the Girl and Boy Child (PISGBC), a State House programme launched under President Yoweri Museveni’s directive to help disadvantaged young people gain practical skills.

The trainees will study bakery, weaving, knitting and shoemaking. At the end of the course, they are expected to be assessed by the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board before graduating, after which they will be encouraged to use their skills to start small businesses or look for jobs. The article says the programme is aimed at improving self-reliance and livelihoods among young people with limited opportunities.

Subway Skilling Centre supervisor Katushabe Stellamaris said the centre provides breakfast and lunch to help students focus during training. She said the initiative mainly targets disadvantaged youth, including those from ghettos and school dropouts, as a second-chance pathway.

The centre’s administrator, Ronah Kamahoro Natukunda, said its current space can only accommodate 350 students and appealed for more facilities. The report presents the programme as part of a broader government-backed effort, in place since 2017, to support youth employability and self-employment through vocational skills.