By Ezrah Kashumbusha,
NATIONAL
The Uganda peoples congress party has urgued parents and gurdians to take their children for vocational training inorder to be more competitive in the job market.
“Parents and guardians should take their children for vocational training, even if they are in formal education sector. This will help them acquire skills that will make them more competitive in the job market,” says UPC
This was reaveled by the party spokesperson Arach Oyat Sharon yesterday during their weekly press briefing at party headquarters at Uganda house.
Early this week, the Uganda Business and Technical Board (UBTEB) released results of students who sat for vocational examinations in the month of July and August 2022 . According to the released results, a total of 36941 sat for the examinations among these 8948 acquired the competencies and 8892 of the total students failed to raise the required passmark.
UPC noticed with great concerns that many parents and guardians are shying away from vocational and technical training for formal education yet the former helps to nurture job creators rather than job seekers.
“Vocational training schools have a stronger balance between background knowledge and hands on training as a result, the student is more likely to be better prepared for the day to day of your job than someone whose degree has emphasized theoretical knowledge” Oyat emphasized
She added that such skills make these students start their own bussinesses such as catering, tailoring, construction mechanics and plumbering because of they are equipped with necessary skills.
Arach is hopeful that venturing into vocational skills helps to eliminate poverty and addressing unemployment related challenges such as reducing bribery sexual harrasment and criminality.
Under looking Technical studies
Technical and vocational training studies is the most under looked form of education in many countries of the world. Students and guardians in the formal education system prefer white collar jobs than technical skills as they are considered for academic failures and learners from families that live on a hand to mouth economy.
The mismatch in the formal and informal education systems has left nearly 8 million of the youth between the age of 15 -30 years, approximately 2.3% of the population in Uganda either unemployed or underemployed.
This has been greatly attributed to lack of adequate skills because existing skills development acquired in the formal education may not prepare graduates adequately for jobs.
As industries evolve, employers struggle to find staff with the necessary skills, yet a few existing employees find themselves without viable skills, UPC says that government has not done enough to support graduates with technical skills.
They suggest that government should provide support to vulnerable technical and vocational training graduates with start up capital, academic scholarships as a mean of capacity building.
Arach also urged government to extend vocational trainings to students in formal education to curb down the raising issue of underemployment after failing to get the job worth their qualifications.
“You find a degree holder turned a Boda boda riders or making chappatti, but when these graduates are given vocational, technological skills, they will be equipped with viable skills required for the jobs,” Arach explained.
