The apprenticeship project.

On my last visit to Uganda, I became aware of older teenagers who were not in any form of education.

Many had dropped out of school when Covid forced school closures and never returned. They had little education and no skills to make them employable. To be blunt, the future of these youngsters looked bleak!

 I had learned of a man, Mr. Abdallah (now a member of BUPECHIU) who owned a repair garage. He was giving opportunities to young people so that they could learn skills in how to maintain and repair motor vehicles. What a brilliant idea! In the Uk we call these opportunities ‘apprenticeships’.

I started talking to business owners; coffee farmers, Safari guides, Hotel owners and asked them if they could take on a young person and teach them the skills of their trade. Much the way Mr. Abdallah was doing. In return we could offer free training in the principles of the BUPECHIU program. This was a very small-scale project, happening through chance meetings with suitable employers.

Later I met with members of the Son Team, a national charity set up by the President’s son. Their purpose was to develop apprenticeship programs across the nation. Similar to what BUPECHIU was promoting but on a much larger scale.

It was a natural step for the Son Team and BUPECHIU to work together. Through Hagaba Moses, chairman of BUPECHIU, this partnership is developing positively.