The young people at God Helps Uganda undertake practical vocational training after completing their school education, in the spirit of helping people to help themselves. It is also a fact in Uganda that employers’ expectations regarding the qualifications of young people are rising. In the future, God Helps Uganda aims to become even more committed to ensuring that young people are able to complete high-quality vocational training. In this way, the organisation seeks to address the growing gap between the high cost of education and declining competitiveness.
Vocational training centre
With the establishment of a vocational training centre, modelled on the successful Swiss dual education system, we aim to provide young adults with better opportunities to enter the world of work. Through high-quality and practically oriented courses, young adults will be empowered to find employment, earn a living independently, and even become trainers and job creators themselves. Personal development, ethics, and entrepreneurship are fundamental components of the curriculum.
The training programmes are intended to benefit both students from the GHU programmes and external young people. Furthermore, great importance is placed on ensuring that the vocational training centre develops in line with the future market requirements of the region. This is the only way to guarantee a high level of employability in the local labour market.
Starter Package for Entering the Workforce
Young people who have successfully completed their training are provided with a starter gift tailored to their profession (for example, a sewing machine or high-quality tools) and are supported as they embark on their professional independence.
Partners in Vocational Education
God Helps Uganda maintains a close partnership with a vocational training centre in the city of Soroti, which is located about 120 km south-east of Lira.
The Soroti Youth Skills Center Foundation (SYSCF) was founded in 2016 by a Swiss machine locksmith and a Ugandan carpenter. With the aim of providing young Ugandans with opportunities for professional development, targeted training positions in carpentry and metalwork have been created in recent years. The concept is based on the Swiss dual education system, in order to prepare learners optimally for working life. Since 2021, 15 young adults have already been trained, all of whom successfully passed the nationally recognised DIT Certificate examinations in November 2023. Among them are two young men who, as part of the FEP programme of God Helps Uganda, were supported and placed in the carpentry training in Soroti.
The successful example and the great willingness to support and cooperate shown by the SYSCF management are a great encouragement and inspiration for the establishment of the GHU vocational training centre. In addition to the high quality of the graduates, the entrepreneurial approach with which SYSCF is run is particularly impressive. The furniture and metalwork produced there are of a high standard, which leads to good and profitable sales of the products. The many years of experience and insights gained by SYSCF in vocational training in Uganda will be directly incorporated into the development and implementation of the GHU training centre.