At the Mengo Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub on Thursday, youthful voices echoed across workshops as learners undertook their final assessments administered by the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB), marking the end of a six-month journey many describe as life-changing.
The Presidential Skilling Hubs were introduced to tackle high youth unemployment and underemployment by offering free, hands-on vocational training to young people who dropped out of the formal education system.
The initiative equips them with practical skills in trades such as bricklaying, carpentry, welding, tailoring, baking and hairdressing — fostering self-reliance, entrepreneurship and wealth creation as Uganda pushes toward its long-term development targets.
For 20-year-old Ngude Sharif from Butambala District, the hub represents redemption.
“I studied up to Primary Six, but I hardly understood what I was being taught in class. I dropped out in 2023,” Sharif said. “In 2025, my father told me about the Presidential Skilling Hubs. I joined bricklaying and construction, and now I am doing my final exams.”
Sharif says he arrived at the hub “completely green” but now feels confident he can construct a house and earn a living. Upon completion, graduates receive a starter toolbox to help them begin work immediately.
“I am ready to stand on my own,” he said with a smile.
For Ms. Kabilamaya Asumpta, 22, the program has shattered gender stereotypes. Having dropped out in Senior Two due to lack of school fees, she had been idling in Kampala before her mother informed her about the Kayunga-based hub.
“I always wanted to do construction since childhood,” she said. “Now I can set out a house, draw a plan and calculate materials needed for a project.”
She urged fellow young women to join technical trades. “This is not a male job. We can do it — and even better. It is not as energy-consuming as people think.”
Mr. Mwesigwa Segawa from Nansana joined after seeing a friend transform his life through construction skills acquired at the hub. Previously earning Shs12,000 as a casual helper on construction sites, Segawa said he realized he needed formal skills to grow.
“I joined welding and I have perfected it,” he said. “But beyond skills, this hub has shaped me as a person. I had lost manners, I was using drugs. After these six months, I am not the same.”
Segawa added that beneficiaries have been promised startup capital to help them launch businesses after graduation.
According to Mr. Asaph Arinaitwe, UVTAB Principal Assessment Officer in charge of Home Science, the assessments are competency-based and conducted in local languages to accommodate learners of different educational backgrounds.
“We are assessing learners in seven occupations including carpentry and joinery, tailoring, baking, leather design, building and construction,” Arinaitwe said. “This program aligns with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan IV by equipping youth with employable skills.”
He revealed that UVTAB has dispatched 250 assessors across 19 Presidential Skilling Hubs nationwide, supported by 30 specialists assisting learners with special needs.
“We do not mind about the level of formal education. Anybody can be assessed. What matters is competence,” he emphasized, noting the increasing participation of girls in construction and welding, and boys in hairdressing.
At the Kayunga hub, Manager Mr. Ahamada Musoke described the initiative as “not just training, but transformation.”
“The program is fully sponsored by State House under the Presidential Initiatives,” Musoke said. “It is completely free of charge. Learners receive accommodation, food, training materials and medical care at no cost.”
Upon successful completion, trainees receive a Level One national certificate under the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Musoke said the program specifically targets disadvantaged and vulnerable youth aged between 18 and 35, many of whom never had the opportunity to complete formal schooling.
“We teach in local languages because we want everyone to understand. Your level of education should not stop you from becoming a good welder, baker or hairdresser,” he said.
Beyond training, graduates are linked to Presidential SACCOs seeded with Shs50 million each to enable access to affordable loans and startup capital.
Applications to join the hubs are processed through local leaders including RDCs, CAOs and district offices, with forms provided free of charge
