Don Bosco Kamuli – Uganda hosts Global Impact Challenge on Skilling

From May 15-18, 2023, St. Joseph Vocational Training Institute Kamuli, Uganda hosted the Global Impact Challenge 2023: Capacity Building Bootcamp organized by WorldSkills Africa in partnership with Don Bosco Tech Africa. The event is a continuation of the partnership that started in May 2022 where Uganda TVET trainers have been receiving mentorship from WorldSkills experts. The aim of this bootcamp was to empower trainers and students with new skills, knowledge, and confidence.

During this bootcamp, the trainees showcased their skills in the trades of electrical work, plumbing, carpentry and joinery, among others. A team of experts from WorldSkills was there to help the young people sharpen their skills in these trades to the highest standards currently recognized around the world.

Speaking at the event Grace Lung, the WorldSkills Senior Manager of Partnership Programmes, underscored that young people in Africa are in dire need of world-class skilling.

 “It is very important for young populous nations like Uganda, to refocus on globally recognized skilling programs in this particular program. We desire that our well-established WorldSkills experts will have a far-lasting impact on these young technicians currently undergoing training here at St. Joseph’s Vocational Training Institute,” Lung, stated.

She further added that WorldSkills International need the political commitment of all nations particularly in Africa and more so Uganda, where a strong recommendation is for what skills can do to empower young people that they are targeting for capacity development. The majority of these young people are marginalized hence this should be impactful in their working lives.

Br. John Njuguna, the Deputy Director of Don Bosco Tech Africa accentuated that the DBTA network is enthusiastic about this program. He further added that the success of this bootcamp will attract more partners to support similar initiatives for our other centres and quickly improve the skills of our technical trainers and enhance their approach to teaching. This would also enable the mobility of our trainers to exchange their skills and expertise with trainers from other centres.

The WorldSkills experts acknowledged the passion and enthusiasm of the trainees to acquire knowledge from them.

The trainees expressed their gratitude to the WorldSkills experts for empowering them with these skills that will take them to greater heights. They added that they will transfer the knowledge acquired to other trainees. This will make them outstanding in the labour market.

Key stakeholders from the industry, other TVET centres, and the government in Uganda attended the event.

Don Bosco Tech Africa’s goal is to create a wonderful cascade effect that lifts the standards, and the ambitions, of skilled young people across Africa. Therefore, this initiative will later be spread to other Don Bosco TVET centres in Africa.