On the 13th of December, the Support to Skilling Uganda (SSU) project piloted the Skills Development Fund (SDF) and launched the business plans of 5 partner institutions in the Albertine-Rwenzori region. At an event in Fort Portal, partners from the local and national level gathered to learn about the funding possibilities of the pilot SDF and to admire the newly edited business plans.

Skills for competitiveness
In order to create awareness among the targeted applicants, the pilot SDF was officially presented to training providers and the private sector in the Albertine-Rwenzori region. Business Membership Organisations at regional level were targeted, as well as training providers that were reached during the mapping exercise.  As the SDF expert, Christine Karungi, puts it “This launch marks the first step in the pilot SDF roll-out strategy for Albertine-Rwenzori.”   By enhancing skills development, the pilot SDF aims to improve local productivity and competitiveness. Its goal is to stimulate bottom-up initiatives between training providers and the private sector through competitive calls for proposals. By linking BTVET institutions with private sector organisations, the fund will facilitate the transition from the world of training to the world of work. Options for financing of Skills Development will first be tested in Albertine-Rwenzori, and later replicated in West-Nile and Karamoja. At the launch, Robert Odok Oceng, Director of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, requested eligible stakeholders “to take up this opportunity to design innovative and relevant skills development programs that will contribute to increased employability of the youth.”

 From the classroom to the workshop
The event also launched the newly edited business plans of 5 partner training providers in Albertine-Rwenzori, which were proudly presented to partner organisations and economic actors in the region. The SSU project supports St. Joseph Technical Institute in Fort Portal, St. Simon Peter Vocational Training Centre & Millennium Business School in Hoima; Kasese Youth Polytechnic Institute in Kasese and UTC Kyema in Masindi to become modern, relevant, demand driven and qualitative Skills Development Centres and eventually Centres of Excellence for particular trades. The first step in this process is the development of business plans which will provide road maps in the transformation process.  

Through internal self-assessments and external BTVET management coaching, each of the technical Institutes created its own business plan. They worked out their own performance indicators, based on the Skilling Uganda Strategic Plan, to set realistic targets and follow up on achievement of the set objectives. LCV Chairperson of Kabarole Mr.Rwabuhinga encouraged the 5 partner institutions to be up for the task to become centers of excellence in the region and to be accountable for the support they had received.  

Based on the business plans, the SSU will plan its future support including infrastructure, relevant equipment and coaching in terms of improving work-based learning practices, assessing market relevance of training programs, career guidance, tracing of graduates, etc.  According to Erwin De Wandel, Head of Development Cooperation for the Belgian Embassy “The launch of the Business plans marks the end of the project inception phase but yet the beginning of the project support at the field level.”