Uganda’s education system has been accused of not producing the appropriately skilled workforce that Uganda requires to increase income and employment and to compete internationally. The training institutions in place do not deliver training commensurate to the required standards and few students access the training (LMS,2018:1). To overcome the above challenges, in 2012, the Government of Uganda through Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) launched a BTVET Strategic Plan 2012/13 to 2021/22 entitled “Skilling Uganda”. This plan underscored a paradigm shift in skills development in the country. The plan emphasized creating employable skills and competencies relevant to the labour market rather than educational certificates as was before.
The BEAR II intervention focuses on enhancing the TVET system capacity to ensure the employability of student graduates from formal TVET programmes in the agriculture sector (agro-processing and post-harvest management) along the maize, fruits and vegetable value chain. In order to achieve these objectives, a broad range of activities are to be conducted under the framework of the project, corresponding to the following three expected result areas:
(i) Increasing the relevance of TVET to the needs of the economy by developing training curriculums to respond to market demand of skills;
(ii) Enhancing the quality of TVET delivered to trainees by building capacities of TVET trainers and institutions; and
(iii) Improving the perception of TVET among young people, enterprises and society, therefore making it a more appealing education option.
UNESCO in collaboration with Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) contracted Radix Management Consulting (U) Ltd to provide services that will lead to an enhancement of TVET materials on Agro processing and post-harvest management with view of improving the competencies and interest of young people in TVET institutions that are undertaking these courses.
Objectives of the Assignment
The purpose of the consultancy was to develop capacities of MoES officials from relevant departments to conduct Training of Trainers on how to produce curricular blueprints, which complement and enhance current TVET strategies and policies, ensuring the coordination among relevant Ministries and stakeholders on work placement and entrepreneurship.