Uganda Shifts TVET Training Towards Workplace Skills

What the report says

Uganda is overhauling technical and vocational education and training to better match workplace demands, according to the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB). The changes are aimed at reducing a gap officials say has long existed between classroom instruction and what employers actually expect graduates to do on the job.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ feedback workshop at the board’s offices in Kampala, UVTAB Deputy Executive Secretary for Curriculum Development Jalia Nasaza said training and assessment will be built around practical industry needs. She said employers will be more involved in shaping curricula and evaluating students so that graduates can demonstrate job-ready skills rather than mainly reproducing theory.

Nasaza also said the reforms are meant to strengthen Uganda’s ability to prepare workers for both local jobs and overseas labour markets, depending on the standards required in different countries. She said the system needs stronger trainers, institutions and occupational standards, while UVTAB Executive Secretary Onesmus Oyesigye said trainers in both public and private institutions should be reskilled and upskilled. He also encouraged learners and institutions to focus more on production and self-employment.

The TVET Council is backing the shift with sector skills expert committees across areas such as agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, business, sports, oil and gas, and minerals. According to the Nile Post report, the council will also monitor graduate employability and tighten quality checks on training institutions, including requirements for equipment, infrastructure and qualified staff. Nasaza said diploma-level assessment will place greater weight on practical work than theory.