MTAC Partners With Trade Ministry To Empower Youths With Enterprise Skills

Posted by: lukwago J in Education October 30, 2018

In an effort aimed at empowering women and youth with practical skills, Management Training and Advisory Centre (MTAC) has partnered with Ministry of trade is train more youth including street vendors in enterprise development skills.

MTAC Acting Executive director, Soteri Karanzi Nabeeta said courses include tailoring, Bakery and Cookery, Shoemaking and Leather Works, Tailoring, Fashion and Design and Hairdressing and Cosmetology. catering and saloon so that these graduates start their own jobs other than loitering on Kampala streets.

Nabeeta revealed this development while presiding Over the 6^th graduation ceremony of MTAC under the theme: “Promoting Enterprise Development through Skills Training where 1,146 students graduated with certificates and diplomas in different discipline.Of these, 768 (66%)were females and 379 (33%) are male.

However, Trade Minister Julius Onen said despite government’s effort to provide education and training at various levels, the country is still facing challenges of deficits in the supply of skilled human resources leading to a ‘skills gap’.

“The government has committed significant resources to training and up-skilling programs to help re-integrate people into the labour market.

“Entrepreneurship development is highly regarded as critical for economic growth and development in this country,” Ambassador Julius Onen said.

He was however optimistic that the situation will change the public embrace vocational skills training.

Vocational skills training and enterprise development as is being undertaken by MTAC, a government Agency mandated to building capacity for entrepreneurship development; duly accredited by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).

In line with vision 2040 and national Development Plan 11 and the NRM manifesto, MTAC has continued to offer entrepreneurship drives to equip people with requisite skills in accounting, business administration, ICT, human resource management and public administration.

Most importantly, MTAC is undertaking critical skills training in candle making, soap making, shoemaking, bakery and cookery, hairdressing among others.

These are essential skills that easily make an individual a job creator rather than a job seeker and there are plans to extend this training to all institutions.

Higher education is promoted through student loan scheme in higher education institutions and emphasis on skills development through the skilling Uganda programme.

89 vendors in Kampala city, largely composed of women and youths also graduated in vocational training in bakery and cookery, shoe-making and leather Works, Tailoring, Fashion and Design and hairdressing and Cosmetology.

However, most of their counterparts were unable to complete their courses for various reasons (a) lack of support from their husbands (b) lack of money for transport and materials for practical sessions; and (c) love for quick earnings.

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