More than 4,200 students under the Presidential Initiative on Skilling the Girl/Boy Child (PISGBC) will sit for their Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) exams this week after completing six months of hands-on training.
Dan Wejuli, a State House official overseeing planning and welfare for the PISGBC project, confirmed that the assessment will take place across nine skilling centers in Kampala. He made the remarks last Friday during a product exhibition in Wandegeya, where students showcased items they created during their training.
The skilling initiative offers courses in welding and metal fabrication, leather design, embroidery, knitting, carpentry, building and construction, baking, hairdressing, plumbing, tailoring, recycling, and value addition. Graduates receive a certificate equivalent to the Uganda Certificate of Education (O’Level).
Dr. Faith Katana Mirembe, Special Presidential Assistant on Skilling and Education and Head of PISGBC, highlighted the program’s impact. She noted that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni launched the initiative in 2017 to reduce unemployment by equipping underprivileged youth with practical skills.
Dr. Katana also thanked Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) for providing free space in Wandegeya Market, one of the first two skilling centers under the project. “This space is free; Subway and Luzira are also free. We do not pay rent for it. We thank KCCA for this free space,” she said.
Dr. Hillary Musoke Kisanja, Senior Presidential Advisor on Agribusiness, commended State House for empowering youth through skills training.
Sheillah Birungi, KCCA’s Director of Gender, Youth, and Production, emphasized the program’s role in empowering women aged 17 to 35. “Recently, I also learned how to bake cakes. I turned 50 in December, but I was inspired by Dr. Katana, who is 69 and still vibrant,” she shared.
She pledged to engage KCCA’s Executive Director on securing a space in Busega Market to establish another skilling center. “If we can get a center in Busega, it would create more opportunities for residents to acquire skills,” she said.
The PISGBC project continues to transform lives by equipping youth with marketable skills, enhancing employment opportunities, and fostering self-reliance.
