Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) with its partners; German Development Organization (GIZ) and Absa Bank, through the Ready to Work program, have employed efforts towards bridging the gap between graduates and employers by equipping the former with practical skills as well as work experience.
According to a recent survey, 9 out of every 10 Ugandans who have completed education are unemployed. The study also indicates that annually, Universities and other Education institutions in the country produce graduates who cannot all be absorbed in the market due to lack of ready jobs.
Through the Ready to Work program which was introduced in 2018, over 2500 graduates have already been absorbed in various factories and industries all over the country.
UMA officials and other stakeholders met at a Human Resource Networking Dinner held at Hotel Africana in Kampala themed, “Sustainable placement strategy, strengthening training institutions with companies,” to discuss the uptake of graduates into the job market,
Speaking at the meeting, Mubarak Nkuutu, who represented Daniel Birungi, UMA Executive Director, revealed that before this initiative, graduates found it hard to find placements in most of the companies which prefer people with more years of experience.
“Ready to work course prepares youth for the world of work like how to behave and present self appropriately in work environment, how to communicate effectively at work, personal and professional management of finances as well as working with others,” Nkuutu said.
He pointed out that most areas which are mostly emphasized include; machine operators and technicians.
“We are working with training Institutions and Universities like Ndejje University, Nakawa Vocational Institute, Buganda Royal Institute and Absa Bank which we used to cater for students’ their insurance before the insurance companies got on board.
Fabian Jacobs from GIZ, who is the Project Manager, revealed that they are providing support to this initiative to be able to benefit students from all spheres of life.
“Currently it’s open to all students offering various disciplines,” he noted.
Phylis Cheptum, the Human Resource officer of Fine Spinners, a beneficiary of this initiative, said they have employed several graduates under this program, revealing that they do not need a lot of on job training.
“As Fine Spinners, we have already benefited with over 30 of these students becoming our full time employees. Others whom we don’t take in are referred to other companies for placements.”
She added that before launching partnership with UMA, they used to find challenges in getting competent employees since most of the graduates were theory oriented with less practical skills.
“Some of the skills we teach to our interns include interaction between various levels of authority at the work place, how to write application letters, as well as employee to employee relationship.”
The project assists new graduates from vocational and university institutions to gaining practical skills through soft skills training and internship placement.
