Thousands of young people on Thursday, August 13, 2026, turned up at Presidential skilling centres across Kampala to enrol for free vocational training, with 3,620 disadvantaged youth registering for the eighth cohort at five of the nine centres.
The Presidential Initiative on Skilling the Girl and Boy Child (PISGBC) targets disadvantaged young people aged between 16 and 35, equipping them with skills to become self-reliant, secure employment and improve their livelihoods.
The free vocational training programme was established by the State House in 2017 under the directive of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The six-month programme offers practical training in areas including tailoring, hairdressing, bakery, shoemaking, knitting, embroidery, weaving and leather design, among others.
At the end of the training, beneficiaries will be assessed by the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) before graduation.
The nine centres are spread across Kampala’s five divisions of Kawempe, Rubaga, Makindye, Nakawa and Kampala Central.
They include Wandegeya Market, Mulago Community Hall, Mutundwe-All Saints Church of Uganda, Nakulabye-Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Luzira Prisons, Subway Skilling Centre, Wabigalo Parish Community Hall, Kigoowa-Ntinda and Kikoni-Makerere Community Hall.
Speaking at Mulago Skilling Centre, Dr. Faith Katana Mirembe, the Special Presidential Assistant on Education and Skilling and head of PISGBC, commended President Museveni for initiating the programme, saying it has enabled thousands of young people to acquire skills for self-employment and poverty reduction.
“The programme is designed to cater for young people who may not have had a chance to access formal education or who dropped out of school,” Dr. Katana said.
She said the programme has also helped young people abandon destructive lifestyles and become productive members of society.
“We have an overflow of young people who have been involved in bad practices like drug abuse and theft, but now they are changed citizens,” she said.
Dr. Katana thanked parents and guardians for embracing the initiative and encouraging their children to enrol.
She clarified that the nine Kampala centres are reserved for vulnerable youth living in the city and do not admit applicants from upcountry districts.
Young people in other parts of the country, she said, are catered for through the Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs established in different regions.
Dr. Katana also encouraged trainees to consider weaving, describing it as a game changer because it enables young people to add value to locally available resources.
“This dress I am putting on was made from this skilling centre and it has a very good fabric. I therefore encourage you to do weaving,” she said.
She said the programme is also expected to create a multiplier effect, with beneficiaries using their newly acquired skills not only to improve their own economic circumstances but also to train and employ others.
“We are training industrialists,” Dr. Katana said, emphasising the programme’s broader objective of linking skills development to Uganda’s industrialisation agenda.
Mr. Nkwanga David, the administrator of Mulago Skilling Centre, said the centre has particularly benefited young people from disadvantaged communities, including those commonly referred to as “ghetto youth”.
He said some trainees arrive at the centre with negative attitudes and behavioural challenges, but the mentorship and mindset-change programmes help them transform their behaviour while acquiring practical skills.
“The hands-on skills help the students to become self-employed and responsible after completing the six-month training,” Mr. Nkwanga said.
He encouraged more young people to embrace technical and vocational education.
Thousands enrol across centres:
At Mutundwe Skilling Centre, 653 students enrolled against a target of 680.
Tailoring, hairdressing and bakery each attracted 160 students, while 75 enrolled for shoemaking, 38 for knitting and 60 for embroidery.
The centre has 27 places remaining, comprising 22 slots for knitting and five for shoemaking.
Mulago Skilling Centre recorded the highest enrolment among the five centres, with 1,035 students registering for 11 courses.
Hairdressing attracted the highest number, with 250 students, followed by tailoring with 147, electrical installation with 143, electronics with 104, plumbing with 95 and welding with 83.
Construction attracted 48 students, carpentry 27, embroidery 73, knitting 29 and leather design 36.
At Luzira Skilling Centre, 642 students were enrolled.
Hairdressing led with 218 students, followed by bakery with 147 and tailoring with 145. Embroidery attracted 47 students, while leather design had 29, knitting 36 and weaving 20.
Wabigalo Skilling Centre enrolled 730 students, with motor vehicle training attracting the highest number at 134.
Electrical installation followed with 129 students, plumbing with 117, electronics with 103, construction with 81 and welding with 80.
Carpentry attracted 47 students, while 39 enrolled for leather design.
At Kigoowa-Ntinda Skilling Centre, 560 students enrolled for the eighth cohort, comprising 89 boys and 471 girls.
Hairdressing was the most popular course, attracting 200 students, followed by bakery with 150 and tailoring with 98.
Other trainees enrolled for embroidery, leather design, knitting and weaving.
The strong enrolment demonstrates the growing demand among young people for practical and vocational training, with the Presidential skilling initiative continuing to provide pathways to self-employment, improved household incomes and greater economic independence.
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