A total of 781 youth have today completed their training in different categories of skills under the Mastercard foundation under the Young Africa Works program. The program targets youth between the ages of 18 to 35 and the trainees gain skills in carpentry, plumbing, hairdressing, and catering among many others.

Out of the 781 youths that completed the program, 425 were females while 356 were males. The function happened at the Kabarole district headquarters in Kitumba and learners were equipped with different skills including hairdressing, plumbing, and catering among others.

The youth who graduated today were the third cohort of the youth who have benefited from the program currently being implemented in the 20 districts and four refugee settlements in the country.

Sylvia Atugonza Adyeeri, the Epi-Center manager of Kabarole district Young Africa Works says some of the youth who benefited from the program have since started their own businesses while others are being employed in different areas of the country.

Incepted three years ago, the five-year program aims at equipping 4.4 million youth in the country with different skills that can help them improve their incomes.

Robert Katabazi, the Director of Education and training under the program says this will help in solving the high rates of unemployment among the youth.

Rwabuhinga Richard, the Kabarole district chairperson said the program brought in place by the Mastercard Foundation is in line with the government’s policy of skilling Uganda which is actualized by TIBET policy.

The district chairperson also says the current curriculum in the country is mainly theoretical in nature and as a result, has in the end created three major challenges skills mismatch, skills deficit, and skills crisis.

With these put together, the district chairperson believes this has resulted in the huge unemployment that is being seen in the country.