Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) has recorded its highest-ever number of candidates for the national technical and vocational assessments, with more than 137,000 trainees sitting for the November-December 2025 series across the country.
Speaking to journalists at the UVTAB headquarters in Kampala on November 22, the board’s Executive Secretary, Mr Onesmus Oyesigye, said a total of 137,546 candidates from 743 assessment centres are taking part in the exercise, which began with a briefing on November 21 and will run until December 18.
Of the candidates, 80,654 are male and 56,892 are female, while 333 are learners with special needs.
Mr Oyesigye noted that UVTAB has deployed 150 transcribers, sign language interpreters and guides to support candidates with special needs throughout the assessment period.
‘This is the highest number of candidates the board has ever registered for assessment,’ he said. ‘We are almost equalizing with the number of candidates who sit for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) exams.’
He added that UVTAB conducted regional briefings for coordinators and centre supervisors on November 14 at four hubs, Mbale, Kampala, Lira and Bushenyi, in line with the board’s regulations governing conduct of assessments.
Prison trainees next in line
Mr Oyesigye also revealed that the board is finalizing discussions to start assessing inmates who acquire technical and vocational skills while in prison.
‘No TVET provider will remain outside the national assessment or regulations of the TVET Council,’ he said. ‘For prisons, it is a matter of time. We have met with them, and we want to start assessing them because they are part of the TVET trainees. We shall consider them in the next assessment.’
He further explained that UVTAB will soon shift to conducting assessments every three months, instead of annually or biannually.
‘Whoever is trained will be assessed and certified,’ he said. ‘They will be presented for assessment and accreditation through a training provider accredited by the TVET Council.’
Growing demand for skills training
Ms Jalia Nasaza, UVTAB’s Deputy Executive Secretary in charge of curriculum development, said the rising numbers show that Ugandans are increasingly embracing skilling programmes as a pathway to employment and self-reliance.
Mr Wilfred Nahamya, the Deputy Executive Secretary in charge of assessment, said candidate enrollment has grown steadily throughout the year.
‘During the May-June assessment series, the board registered 66,000 candidates. This increased to about 80,000 during the August-September series, and now over 137,000 candidates are being assessed in the November-December series,’ he said.
According to Mr Nahamya, trainees under the Presidential Skilling Hubs and the Presidential Initiative for Skilling a Girl and Boy Child are among the candidates sitting for this cycle.