Parliament commits support to presidential skilling programme

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Thomas Tayebwa, has reiterated that Parliament will continue to support the State House further the Presidential Skilling Program which is mainly aimed at fighting unemployment in Uganda.

“Madam State House Comptroller, I have heard that you need Shs10 billion shillings to set up common user facilities for our skilled youths, please bring the documents to Parliament and we will give you the money," Tayebwa said, addressing the State House Comptroller Jane Barekye.

"This (skilling) programme should be supported because it is proving solutions to unemployment. Let us thank President Museveni for this wonderful programme."

Tayebwa, who is also the Member of Parliament for Ruhinda North in Mitooma District, made the remarks at the graduation ceremony ofthe Kigezi Presidential Zonal Industrial Hub in Kabale District yesterday.

A total of 462 trainees of which 243 were girls from the first and the second intake completed their vocational training and were awarded certificates in seven disciplines of bakery and confectionery, welding and metal fabrications, and leather processing (shoe making).

Others are tailoring and design, hairdressing and makeup, building and construction practice, and carpentry and joinery.

Tayebwa lauded legislators, especially those on the Budget Committee, for appropriating money to the presidential hubs to ensure that more young people are trained hands-on skills saying the money has been well utilised.

He implored students to be disciplined as they begin their journey into the money economy.

“Now you look at me as the deputy speaker of Parliament but a few years ago I was like you, and I was nobody. I once went on the streets and demonstrated but I never lost focus. You can also make it in life and it's now your turn to change the situation,” Tayebwa told the youth

He also cautioned them against bad practices like alcoholism.

“One of the biggest problems we now have is alcoholism among the youths. When you get some little money, instead of investing it to increase your incomes, you resort to drinking. This is wrong,” Mr Tayebwa stressed.

The Kigezi Presidential Zonal Industrial Hub is located in two villages of Rukaranga and Murambo, both in Buranga Parish, Kamuganguzi Sub-county, Ndorwa West Constituency in Kabale.

Mr David Bahati, the minister of state for industry and also the MP for Ndorwa West, lauded State House for fulfilling the vision of the President through establishing Presidential skilling hubs which are up to the standard across the country.

“We appropriated Shs120 billion to build presidential hubs in all the regions in Uganda. I’m happy that this was fulfilled," he said.

"We are very impressed by what you are doing. Equipping you with skills that can be used by our country to create jobs is at the forefront of our programme as NRM government led by President Museveni to ensure prosperity."

According to Ms. Barekye, all what President Museveni intended to achieve when he initiated the hubs has been achieved.

She cited job creation among the youth, training job creators not job seekers, reducing criminality and  improving household incomes.

“The President is now planning to set up common user facilities with required machines in every district which hosts a skilling hub to give opportunity to our youths who have graduated to continue practising their skills,” Ms Barekye said.

She also called upon the trainees to remain disciplined as they look for opportunities.

Kigezi Industrial Zonal Hub in is one of the 19 hubs constructed across the country with the aim of equipping over 12, 000 youth every year under the Presidential Initiative on skilling of the youth to usher them into the money economy.

Other beneficiaries include Greater Mbarara, Greater Masaka, Kayunga, Kampala, Kyenjojo, Kasese, Ntoroko, Adjumani, Gulu, Lira, Mbale, Kibuku, and Jinja districts.

The trainees did two sets of examinations from the Directorate of Industrial Training under the Ministry of Education and Sports which included a modular assessment in the first set and level one in the 2nd set.

Each learner was awarded with a Uganda Vocational Qualifications Level One certificate by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) which is equivalent to the Uganda Certificate of Education level and internationally recognised, according to Mr Johnson Turyamwesimira, the principal qualifications officer at DIT.

“This certificate shows that you’re competent,” Mr Turyamwesimira said.

The manager of Kigezi Presidential Zonal Industrial Hub, Mr Emmanuel Lion Mwebesa, saluted the UPDF for the mindset training and ideological orientation, which he said did a commendable work in instilling vocational skills, Kiswahili, life skills, physical fitness and discipline.

“It has been a collective responsibility for all staff to make sure that all trainees improve on their discipline and I am glad we achieved that," he said.

"We have not only skilled these trainees but also nurtured them to be transformational leaders. Our great thanks go to President Museveni, for his great wisdom of skilling the youth. I also want to thank him for fulfilling his promise of building industrial hubs as per his manifesto for last elections."

He implored graduates to create their future now that they have the required skills.

“As a Manager, I derive my inner satisfaction from seeing a transformed life where I have participated. I’m proud of you. This is the day that the Lord has made,” he said.

Kabale Woman MP Catherine Ndamira Atwikiire appreciated President Museveni for his vision to fight poverty in Uganda, especially in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Rubanda, Rukia, Kanungu and Rukungiri.

“I thank President Museveni for championing peace and transformation. I thank our children for accepting to join the money economy through learning employable vocational skills," Ms Ndamira said.

The Director of Industrial Hubs and Presidential Projects at State House, Raymond Akankwatsa Kamugisha, appreciated partners with whom they work with to ensure the success of the programme.

The partners include the Ministry of Local government, RDCs, Youth Chairpersons, people with disabilities and the UPDF who specialise in mindset change and ideology.