Thousands of Ugandan graduates are struggling to find jobs, while companies continue to look for skilled workers they cannot find. To fix this mismatch, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council is reshaping the country’s skilling system to meet the needs of the labour market.
At a TVET Reforms Dissemination Workshop in Nakawa on Tuesday, Moses Kasakya, the Council’s Executive Director, said the new system focuses on what the market wants, not just what training institutions can offer.
“We have many graduates who are unemployed, yet there are jobs that remain unfilled. The biggest reform is shifting focus from what institutions can teach to what the market actually wants,” he said.
Under the TVET Act, 2025, curricula, training, and assessments will now respond directly to labour market gaps. Moses cited the oil and gas sector, where the country still imports welders because local graduates do not yet meet industry standards.
To ensure graduates are job-ready, the reforms introduce national standards and a clear qualifications framework, allowing learners to progress from certificates to diplomas, higher diplomas, and degrees. All institutions offering TVET programmes must also be registered and regulated, ensuring competent trainers, proper equipment, and safe trainer-to-student ratios.
Training will also include entrepreneurship skills, giving graduates the tools to start their own businesses if formal employment is not immediately available.
“Even if they don’t find jobs right away, they should be able to start a salon, a carpentry workshop, or other ventures,” Moses said.
