By Kitts D.Mabonga
A total of 650 young individuals from various areas in Kampala, mostly residing from the ghetto with disadvantaged backgrounds, proudly displayed their creations during an exhibition.
These products were a result of the vocational skills they acquired through the Mulago Presidential Initiative on Skilling the Girl/Boy Child Project Centre. Over a period of six months, these youths dedicated themselves to learning different vocational skills of their choice.
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During the exhibition, the graduates were encouraged to utilize the skills they had acquired and refrain from being exploited. They were urged to become productive members of society and contribute towards alleviating poverty in their respective communities. This, in turn, would contribute to the overall economic development of the country.
The Minister of Kampala Metropolitan Affairs, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, emphasized the importance of the youth in the ghetto communities taking advantage of the free vocational skills training opportunities provided by the Presidential Initiative. These opportunities would equip them with the necessary skills to combat unemployment and secure a better future.
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“This is a big opportunity for our youth to take up positions and enroll for these strategic courses which shall effectively turn them into productive and prosperous citizens given that the training Centres are scattered all over the five divisions of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan area,” he noted.
She congratulated the current cohort of students for training in various courses saying they stand to benefit from the strategic employment fruits ushered in by the NRM administration led by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The State Minister for Lands, Princess Persis Namuganza said the government is determined in ensuring that the youth across the country who form the majority population are given entrepreneurship skills training opportunities such that they can embark on their own journey of creating their own jobs thus contributing to the poverty eradication programs of the government.
Namuganza also the MP for Bukoona County in Namutumba district urged the youth to desist from accepting to be lured into acts of criminality by bad groups but instead enlist with such training opportunities and also access the PDM funds to set up joint workshops within their respective communities and earn an incomes.
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The Kampala Residentila City Commisisoner, Hajjat Amina Lukanga said she was excited that more young people are steadily embracing the training under such strategic government programs.
She used the opportunity to call upon more youth still walking the streets in search of white collar jobs to enroll and attain other handson skills that can help them start their own businesses and even creat more jobs.
The Director of the project in State house Dr. Faith Katana Mirembe thanked the Mulago center administrator Juliet Wanyana and her team for a great job well done for training the youth saying the resultant fruits are poised to have a positive multiplier effect on communities where the beneficiaries come from.
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Wanyana said they are offering strategic training services to over 657 students undertaking various courses of their choice and are happy for both the logistical and technical support rendered, which has effectively enabled them to handle this huge team.
However, show raised concern of the escalating cases of student drop outs due to several societal and household shortcomings such as domestic violence at household level, shifting to new location and peer pressure from old friends which she said was being handled by special counseling g services extended to the potential victims by experts among others.
The course units undertaken includes hairdressing, tailoring, plumbing, electricity and electronics, wielding, construction, shoe making, knitting, and embroidery.