Robert Ssuuna from Masaka was fortunate to have made it to senior four at school. Only about 16 percent of all children in Uganda complete O’level.

But then he got stuck. Another two years of secondary school would not add much to his chances of finding a job, particularly if he could not proceed to university.

He knew so many young people in his home region who had been unemployed for many years, partly because their qualifications did not match the labour market. That’s when Robert decided to go for vocational training.

He heard about the Skilling Uganda Initiative and enrolled for a two-year catering and hotel management course at Millennium Business School in Hoima, 300 km away from home. After graduation, he could not believe his luck. He was immediately offered a job as a chef at Hotel Buffalo, one of the best hotels in Hoima.

“Hoima is like a new city. With the oil and gas activities that are going on, our services as chefs are greatly needed,” he says.

With his salary, he can provide for his own needs and additionally pay for his brother’s education. He now advises his jobless friends to embrace technical education, which he believes is a surer way to get employment.

“I hear many youth beg the government to help them. But if you get the right training for the jobs that are available, you can get out of the begging life,” he says.