300 Bunyoro-Kitara youth join industrial hub

MASINDI– 300 youth in Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom have been selected to join Bunyoro Industrial Hub as the first entrants to attain vocational skills at the government facility.

Under the government’s efforts to skill Ugandans, each district was given a slot of 30 youth to be admitted and get free training for six months at the industrial hub located in Kimengo Sub-county in Masindi district.

Benision Chiche, the Hoima district vice chairman and board member Bunyoro Industrial Hub noted that about 2000 youth applied though only 300 were successful as each district in Bunyoro Sub-region was required to submit only 30 names.

The training for the beneficiaries will kick off next week.

Chiche noted that most of the beneficiaries are those who dropped out of school in primary seven and O’level and from families whose parents failed to meet school requirements.

He noted that the industrial hub is to offer courses in welding and metal fabrication, bricklaying, hairdressing, art, and fashion designing, electrical installation, carpentry and joinery, and value addition to different agricultural products.

However, Chiche revealed that the industrial hub would begin with three courses in welding and metal, tailoring, carpentry, and joinery while others, he said, would be operationalised later.

He added that the facility would put much emphasis on mindset change as most youth think technical courses are for academic failures. “The biggest challenge we have in this country is the issue of the negative mindset toward technical and vocational training. We need to address this challenge,” he said.

Chiche called on those who missed not to lose hope, adding that there is a chance that they would be considered in the second phase come next year.

Emmy Katera Turyabagyenyi, the Hoima District Resident Commissioner [RDC] said that the training is free of charge, including food, accommodation, and transport among other necessities that will be provided by the government.

He commended the presidents for the initiative saying that the initiative will help the youth to be job creators than job seekers. He added that the initiative is going to address the challenge of unemployment among the youth in the region.

He said that the training has come at the right time when the oil industry is seeking for skilled personnel to provide labor.

However, he warned the beneficiaries against acts of indiscipline and immorality while at the training facility if they are to complete the training.

“Go and focus on what has taken you there. You should avoid acts of immorality and indiscipline. If you go and start engaging in sexual immorality, then you will end up being impregnated, and this may cause some of you to get forced out of the training,” he advised.

Scovia Nyamukiza from Katereiga in Buhanika Sub-county and a primary seven dro-out expressed her excitement after her admission to the hub. She said that her parents failed to further her education due to lack of school fees, but now she is happy since she will get tailoring skills.

Beatrice Karungi of Kitobe Sub-county who completed senior four in 2016 said that she failed to continue with her education because her parents were unable to raise her school fees.

She expressed her excitement that the training would help her to attain skills in tailoring, which said will enable her to create her own job.

The facility will benefit all the districts and a city of Bunyoro sub region including Hoima, Masindi, Kiryandongo, Buliisa, Kikuube, Kagadi, Kibaale and Kakumiro and Hoima city.

The Shs5 billion industrial hub sits on 100 acres of land which the Uganda Investment Authority [UIA] donated to Masindi district local government.

The facility will also host a four-acre model agricultural demonstration centre where farmers will be learning the best agricultural practices.

The multi-billion project is also expected to fight poverty and unemployment.

https://thecooperator.news/at-least-600-students-will-join-bunyoro-industrial-hub/

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