Over 700 graduate from YMCA Jinja

Graduates have been urged to embrace vocational and technical education as a way of solving the unemployment problem in the country.

The call was made by YMCA national Executive Director Rosemary Birungi at the YMCA-Jinja 19th graduation ceremony held at the college’s campus in Jinja city on Friday.

A total of 749 graduands received certificates and diplomas in various, including Tailoring, Hair dressing,

Catering and Hotel Management, Cosmotology, Accounting and Journalism, among others.

Out of the 749 graduands, 670 were female, amounting to 89 per cent of the graduands while only 79

were male, constituting 11 per cent of the total number of graduands.

“YMCA has offered you the technical and vocational skills which are on high demand in the labour

market. Use these skills to transform society,” Birungi said.

She said she was upbeat by the high number of females embracing skills training at the YMCA colleges

throughout the country.

Speaking at the same function, YMCA-Jinja college principal Lambert Okure Drata applauded  government for supporting skills training through putting in place the requisite policy guidelines.

“We produce workers not managers and many of our graduands here today have already been absorbed

in the labour market while others have started their own businesses. Our target is to equip young people with skills and training to become job makers not seekers,” Drata said.

He said all YMCA students are taught entrepreneurship and soft skills to enable them navigate through

the murky waters of the labour market.

He decried the declining number of males embracing vocational and technical education, adding that

males need to embrace skills training to help fight the unemployment problem in the country.

“There is a belief that the courses we are offering are for girls. Courses like Early Childhood

Development (ECD) and Cosmotology are seen as courses for females. This is not true,” Drata said.

He  also disclosed that 50 per cent of students have dropped out due to the Covid pandemic.

“Covid has posed a very big challenge. We had close to 1,200 students but only half of the number have

come back. Many have dropped out due to financial problems while scores lost interest and dropped

out,” he  said.

Kibina Ronald, who emerged the best graduand with a Cummulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.8,

attributed his success to encouragement from friends and family members.

The 51-year-old has obtained a certificate in Social Work and Social Administration (SWASA) been

studying with his daughter Esther Nakibunga who has graduated with a certificate in Tailoring.

“I had to pay tuition for both myself and my daughter as well as her siblings and this has been an uphill

task but this has only helped me to be more focused on my studies,” Kibina said.

Kibina who works as a driver with the Ministry of Tourism said he is determined to pursue further

studies.

“I have always been challenged at work because of the limited papers and promotions have not been

forthcoming because of inadequate academic qualifications,” Kibina said.