Gov’t seeks to expand graduate volunteer scheme coverage

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government is extending the Uganda Graduate Volunteer Scheme to the different districts within the country. The scheme that was launched in January 2019 has only served places within the Kampala metropolitan area.

The scheme is meant to offer skills to thousands of children who graduate from universities with knowledge and no practical skills to fit within the job market. It is based on the fact that a number of Universities immensely focused on literacy and numeracy skills as opposed to practical skills.

More than 210 people have already benefited from this program. Most of the beneficiaries are in the hospitality business, and many have been taken to National parks and recreation centres to work as volunteers. Up to two billion Shillings has so far been used to pay and support all volunteers in the different departments and agencies.

The government now seeks to increase the scope of coverage of the program to districts and municipalities the country. The government is seeking up to 10 billion Shillings to start spreading the project in all districts, to achieve the target.

State Minister for Labour Mwesigwa Rukutana told URN that the main objective of the Uganda Graduate Volunteer Scheme is to create employment avenues for young graduates while building the capacity of national institutions, the private sector and other key partners to mainstream youth employment into their workplaces.

He says, under the program all districts and the private operators in the area will be mandated to take on students from Universities to ensure that they train them with practical’s in the different fields. He says, even when the volunteers.

The scheme utilizes volunteerism as an avenue for youth contribution to societal development challenges and a pathway to providing the youth with the soft skills required to be employable or to create employment for themselves.

Volunteers will be employed in various public and private institutions which are partnering with the Scheme. They will also be provided with a full-on job package that includes coaching, mentorship, role models to guide them along their career path even after the programme.

Alex Asiimwe, the commissioner in charge of Labour at the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development says that the government has also developed a national framework that would help those that have not acquired enough education that to easily get skills that would lead them to a job and start earning.

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