MTN supports vocational skills development

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | On Feb.23, MTN Uganda-sponsored Smart Girls Foundation passed out 20 girls with vocational skills in the inaugural graduation ceremony held at the MTN Girls with Tools Skilling Centre in Wakiso District.

This comes seven months since MTN Foundation launched a training facility at the Smart Girls Foundation in July last year with a training capacity of more than 400 women per year in vocational and business skills in servicing and washing bays, computer application, electricity installation, welding, carpentry, tailoring and house painting.

The facility worth Shs300million is fully equipped with a computer laboratory with internet connectivity, a vehicle servicing station and a washing bay. MTN’s Chief Executive Officer, Sylvia Mulinge said, “We are very glad that our efforts are now bearing fruits.

We believe that the training received has provided you with the much-needed hands-on training experience to enable you to appreciate the workings of building businesses and creating employment opportunities,” she said.

She added that the skills acquired will help the participants to compete equally with their male counterparts in securing job opportunities that were mainly preserved for men.

Irene Kaggwa, the executive director at the Uganda Communications Commission, implored the graduands to continuously seek more knowledge and skills. “What you have learnt here is only the start of your journey. The world we are living in is constantly changing.

You will need to continue learning to keep pace with the changes in technologies,” she said. Smart Girls Foundation Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jamilla Mayanja said, “We are trying to develop a tools garage so that these graduates can continue to come and borrow them,” she said. “We are also planning to develop an online market space.

We want to make sure that there is 360 degrees empowerment of for our graduates.” The training has since received more than 500 applications for the next intake but it can only accommodate 150.