Support to Skilling Uganda in Karamoja region is funded by the Government of Ireland, supporting relevant skills development for Karamojong youth, women and girls. It was conceived as a geographical extension of the Belgian-funded Support to Skilling Uganda intervention.

Both interventions follow the same strategic approach and are contributing to the implementation of the Skilling Uganda Strategy. They are implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES) together with the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel).

The project is focusing on supporting the BTVET reform agenda, strengthening the national, regional and local skills development stakeholders, and piloting new competitive and demand-driven Skills Development Fund (SDF) mechanisms.

As the Karamoja region has specific features (high poverty, low economic development, low literacy levels, few training providers and below average of quality training), the implementation of Skilling Uganda requires a specific approach to ensure its relevance to the Karamoja context. Therefore, the project focuses more on complementarity of skills development with livelihood activities, short term vocational training, emerging markets and possible future economic developments.

The focus is on raising the quality and quantity of skills provision for over 2000 youth in Karamoja:
(1) Approximately 1000 students in the formal (2 years courses) and non-formal (3 to 6 month courses) BTVET-provision system, attending training in accredited training providers for non-formal courses in the region stimulated through the SDF.
(2) Approximately 1000 youth that will receive short courses (max 10 to 100 hours), either in a BTVET-institution, in a vocational training centre of an NGO or by a private provider. Out of these direct beneficiaries, an indicative target of 70% Karamojong out of whom 30% will be girls.

The project contributes to the achievement of the BTVET reform agenda at three different levels:
1) institutional level through support to different stakeholders;
2) instrument level to develop and support skills development focusing on alternative financing mechanisms;
3) training provision level through upgrading of training providers.