President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has approved the establishment of three new Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs in Ntungamo, Bushenyi and Kalangala districts as the government moves to expand access to vocational training for vulnerable young people.
Two of the hubs will be established in Ntungamo and Bushenyi districts in the Ankole sub-region, while the third will be constructed in Kalangala District to serve young people in the island district.
The expansion follows concerns from regional leaders over stiff competition for the limited training opportunities available at existing Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs.
President Yoweri Museveni establsuhed 19 Presidential Zonal Industrial Skilling Hubs as part of the efforts to address unemployment and equip young people with practical skills in various fields including carpentry, welding, tailoring, building and construction, hairdressing, shoe making and mechanics.
Training at the centres is free of charge, with learners receiving accommodation, meals and training materials. Upon completion, graduates are awarded certificates from the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB), equivalent to the Uganda Certificate of Education.
State House Comptroller Jane Barekye announced the development during stakeholder engagements at the Ankole Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub and the Greater Masaka Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub.
The Ankole Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub currently serves 17 administrative units, including districts, municipalities and a city, creating intense competition for the available training slots.
Barekye said some administrative units receive an average of only 14 slots per intake, compared with more than 25 slots allocated to some other zones.
She said the establishment of additional hubs is expected to ease pressure on existing centres and enable more young people to acquire practical skills that can improve their employment and income prospects.
In Greater Masaka, the new Kalangala hub is expected to address challenges faced by young people in the island district, particularly the cost and difficulties associated with travelling to mainland training centres.
The existing Greater Masaka Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub serves 10 administrative units. Once the Kalangala facility is established, the units will be shared between the two centres, with each hub serving five administrative units.
According to Barekye, construction of the three facilities will commence once the respective local governments identify and formally provide suitable land for the projects.
The Director of Presidential Projects and Industrial Hubs at State House, Eng. Raymond Kamugisha, said the expansion will also be accompanied by the introduction of new vocational courses.
On Museveni’s directive, four additional courses are being introduced—weaving and knitting, plumbing, electrical installation and electrical wiring.
The new courses are intended to broaden the range of practical skills available to beneficiaries and equip young people with competencies that can be directly applied in the labour market or used to establish small businesses.
The State House has also relaxed admission requirements for vulnerable young people who do not possess National Identification Cards.
Kamugisha said applicants without National IDs can now present recommendation letters from their respective LC1 chairpersons and be admitted while efforts are made to help them acquire the required identification documents.
The measure is intended to ensure that lack of national identification does not prevent vulnerable young people from accessing skills training.
Meanwhile, Kamugisha raised concerns over the low uptake of SACCO loans by graduates of the skilling programme, despite funds being available to help beneficiaries establish income-generating activities.
He urged graduates to take advantage of the financing opportunities and turn the skills acquired through the programme into sustainable businesses and employment.
Greater Masaka Zonal Presidential Industrial Skilling Hub Chairperson Rodgers Bulegeya called for an increase in enrolment, proposing that the number of beneficiaries be raised from the current 24 young people per district to 100.
Bulegeya said the growing demand for vocational training demonstrates the need for government to expand both the number of training centres and the number of beneficiaries admitted in each intake.
The proposed hubs in Ntungamo, Bushenyi and Kalangala are expected to reduce pressure on existing centres while bringing vocational training closer to vulnerable young people who might otherwise struggle to access such opportunities.
The expansion reinforces the government’s focus on practical skills development as a pathway to youth employment, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
