Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from Makerere University, Jemimah Peace Aguro was encouraged by fellow Mastercard alumnus who had been through the Work Readiness Programme to apply for it.

“Previous scholars had informed me of the hustle of employment search and introduced me to the easy way, the Work Readiness Programme”, she said. 

Aguro is one of the two graduate employees that were taken on by Amos Dairies in Mbarara District. She works as a Quality Control Officer who carries out quality tests on raw materials and validates systems, ensuring that they run as per set standards. She says that what makes her confident about her work is that the Work Readiness Programme has given her the platform to practice what she studied in school.

 “That I fit into a very prominent industry and directly handle a consumable product makes me very confident,” she says.

In addition to the soft skills she learned before starting her placement at Amos Dairies, Aguro has learnt how to handle food and the various management systems regarding food. She says she is now able to apply her learned soft skills such as teamwork, innovativeness, consistency and decision-making in her professional work.  

Despite biotechnology being a slowly growing industry in Uganda, many things are not yet regulated as Aguro notes.  She adds that she feels proud of what she has achieved.

“Our supervisor, Mr. Temba Phiri is very reliable and the programme has indeed given me a platform to start my career. My takeaway from the programme is patience and being optimistic regardless of what one may face in the work environment. Whereas quitting might be a constant thought in a new workspace, patience does pay,” notes Aguro.

She and her co-graduate employee are being retained at the company.