Government has called on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to comply with new skilling reforms under the TVET Act, 2025, by licensing their institutions to produce trained graduates capable of meeting labor market demands.
The Act, adopted earlier this year and enforced in March, introduces an employer-led and demand-driven skilling system, emphasizing quality assurance, industry-led training and apprenticeships, and the inclusion of all persons.
Speaking at a TVET reforms dissemination workshop in Kampala, TVET Council Executive Director Moses Kasakya said the reforms aim to equip Ugandans with market-relevant skills and address persistent unemployment.
‘There is a persistent gap between the education output and the labor market. While we have many people unemployed, there are jobs that the graduates cannot do,’ Mr Kasakya said.
He highlighted the importance of formalizing the informal skills sector to recognize skilled individuals who can train others. He cited Uganda’s reputation in Kenya for producing some of the best hospital beds in Katwe, noting that few people know the expertise behind it.
‘TVET is intended to bring what is informal to be formal and later increase the tally of the skilled people,’ he said.
Kasakya stressed that registration is now a legal requirement for any institution seeking to produce TVET-trained graduates.
‘If any institution is interested in producing TVET-trained graduates, they must follow the law of the requirements which involves registration,’ he emphasized. .
He added, ‘For those operating on their own may compromise standards, the council must know where you’re operating from and be able to confirm that you have the right equipment, adequate workshops and competent trainers.’
Kasakya said registration allows the council to conduct inspections to ensure institutions meet minimum standards, including proper infrastructure, tools, and qualified trainers. He emphasized the need for trainers to continually research and update their knowledge.
‘Under TVET, a trainer should be teaching what they can actually do, they need to be ahead because the people they are teaching are making research every day and you cannot train something you don’t know,’ he stressed.
Richard Kalanzi, Director of Industrial Training, urged trainers to be intentional in passing on skills, highlighting the impact on economic development.
‘Every trainee you train reduces dependency, they create jobs or work under someone which reduces the dependency rates,’ Mr Kalanzi said.
Jackson Kizza Sebuliba of the Uganda Small-Scale Industries Association noted that the reforms allow trainers to refresh their skills every three years when their licenses expire, keeping them updated with evolving industry needs.
‘Initially people have been just training and there has not been any criteria where trainers should go back and refresh on what they train, but the new reforms allow someone to train and refresh their skills when their license expires after three years which keeps them up to date with the ever-changing patterns,’ he said.