A record 55,788 candidates began sitting vocational and technical examinations yesterday under the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UBTEB), with assessments taking place at more than 600 centres countrywide.
The July-August 2026 assessment series is the largest conducted by the board since its establishment under the TVET Act No. 3 of 2025.
Candidates are sitting Competence Based Training assessments for National Certificate Level Three and Community Polytechnic Certificate Level Two qualifications.
Of the total candidates, 38,957 are male and 16,831 are female, while 153 candidates are learners with special needs, including hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities and other conditions.
The assessments, running under the theme Assessment for Employable Skills, began in July and will continue until August 21. Candidates are being examined in trades ranging from motor vehicle mechanics and electrical installation to tailoring, plumbing and welding.
Speaking to reporters in Kampala at the weekend, UBTEB Executive Secretary Onesmus Oyesigye said the rising number of candidates reflected growing public confidence in vocational training as a pathway to employment.
However, deputy executive secretary Wilfred Nahamya said the surge in registrations had created logistical challenges, with many candidates registering late, complicating timetabling, assessor deployment, and centre readiness.
At Nakawa Vocational Training College, Deputy Principal Michael Biratune Rujumba said the institution had registered 733 candidates for the current assessment cycle.
He said about 38 percent of the college’s learners had been registered across seven trades: Electronics Technology, Electrical Installation, Machining and Fitting, Motor Vehicle Mechanics, Woodworking, Plumbing, and Welding.
Preparation included mock examinations, continuous internal assessments, practical project evaluations and industrial training placements, allowing students to demonstrate their skills in real workplace environments before sitting the final board assessments.
Mr Rujumba said the college had established an examination task force and installed CCTV cameras in assessment rooms to curb malpractice.
He added that UBTEB had adopted a modular assessment system, with internal college assessments conducted alongside the Board’s external assessments each semester.
Mr Rujumba also highlighted staffing shortages, saying the government had not deployed enough technical trainers, forcing the college to rely on private sector instructors.
He expressed hope that ongoing governance reforms, including the establishment of boards of governors for TVET institutions, would help address the shortage.