Aid on Spreadsheets

Support to the implementation of the Skilling Uganda Strategy

The new project “Support for the Implementation of the Skilling Uganda Strategic plan at the National Level and in Albertine and Rwenzori Regions” is another “building stone” in the series of support by the Government of Belgium to the Education Sector and to Post-Secondary Education and Training, in order to bolster Uganda’s economic and social development. Belgium and Uganda embarked on this way in 2005, when the partners decided that Belgium’s support should focus on the Education Sector. The present project “Support for the Implementation of the Skilling Uganda Strategic Plan at the National Level and in Albertine and Rwenzori Regions” is a logical extension and continuation of the TTE project. It shows in its title clearly the ambition of helping that a wide and overarching sectorial analysis and plan leads to implementation. Given the limited means and the limited absorption capacity of many institutions, and taking into account both Ugandan and Belgian geostrategic priorities, the new project was conceived as an intervention supporting the Ugandan stakeholders from Government, Employers, Trade Unions and Civil Society, in implementing some of the strategic lines and proposals made in the Strategy, both on a national scale and in a specific part of the country. Given that the Skills Development Authority has not been approved yet and that the date of its coming into life is not known, the focus of the project concept has been directed towards facilitating the open interaction of all stakeholders on the policy level, under the leadership of the planning department and in close collaboration with the Reform Task Force for the Skilling Uganda Strategy, which is administratively attached to the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports, but acts in an advisory role for the whole Government and the other key stakeholders. The intervention will provide support to different actors and stakeholders in developing and testing a national Skills Development Fund, and at the same time implement improvement of access and quality in Technical and Vocational Education and Training on the grassroots-level in two of the Western Regions of Uganda, the Rwenzori and Albertine Regions. The choice of these regions had been taken much earlier in Government-to-Government negotiations between the Ugandan and the Belgian side. The idea circulated and was finally adopted to introduce the pilot Skills Development Fund, one of the core elements of the “Skilling Uganda” Strategy, in this grass-root level component, in order to “learn by doing” and adjust, before engaging into the adventure of building up the national Skills Development Fund. A specific feature of the framework conditions for the project is, that it will “meet” several other interventions, which are focussing the same regions, given that the Government and international investors and donors expect a major economic impulse from the oil and gas exploration and the beginning of the production phase. The new project “Support for the Implementation of the Skilling Uganda Strategic plan at the National Level and in Albertine and Rwenzori Regions” is another “building stone” in the series of support by the Government of Belgium to the Education Sector and to Post-Secondary Education and Training, in order to bolster Uganda’s economic and social development. Belgium and Uganda embarked on this way in 2005, when the partners decided that Belgium’s support should focus on the Education Sector. The present project “Support for the Implementation of the Skilling Uganda Strategic Plan at the National Level and in Albertine and Rwenzori Regions” is a logical extension and continuation of the TTE project. It shows in its title clearly the ambition of helping that a wide and overarching sectorial analysis and plan leads to implementation. Given the limited means and the limited absorption capacity of many institutions, and taking into account both Ugandan and Belgian geostrategic priorities, the new project was conceived as an intervention supporting the Ugandan stakeholders from Government, Employers, Trade Unions and Civil Society, in implementing some of the strategic lines and proposals made in the Strategy, both on a national scale and in a specific part of the country. Given that the Skills Development Authority has not been approved yet and that the date of its coming into life is not known, the focus of the project concept has been directed towards facilitating the open interaction of all stakeholders on the policy level, under the leadership of the planning department and in close collaboration with the Reform Task Force for the Skilling Uganda Strategy, which is administratively attached to the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports, but acts in an advisory role for the whole Government and the other key stakeholders. The intervention will provide support to different actors and stakeholders in developing and testing a national Skills Development Fund, and at the same time implement improvement of access and quality in Technical and Vocational Education and Training on the grassroots-level in two of the Western Regions of Uganda, the Rwenzori and Albertine Regions. The choice of these regions had been taken much earlier in Government-to-Government negotiations between the Ugandan and the Belgian side. The idea circulated and was finally adopted to introduce the pilot Skills Development Fund, one of the core elements of the “Skilling Uganda” Strategy, in this grass-root level component, in order to “learn by doing” and adjust, before engaging into the adventure of building up the national Skills Development Fund. A specific feature of the framework conditions for the project is, that it will “meet” several other interventions, which are focussing the same regions, given that the Government and international investors and donors expect a major economic impulse from the oil and gas exploration and the beginning of the production phase.

Result 1: The BTVET and employment (sub)sector have a coordinated and formally agreed governance structure, vision and medium-term strategy. Result 2: The Pilot Skills Development Fund is established and operates in the Project Area and it serves as a model for the future National Skills Development Fund. Result 3: Quality of training and qualification processes is improved and the access to quality BTVET provision is enhanced with special attention to the needs and potentials of females. The employability of youth is increased through better quality of instruction and learning in Skills Development The quality of skills development is enhanced and responsive to labour market needs, in four Districts – Kabarole, Hoima, Masindi and Kasese - in Western Uganda in line with the Skilling Uganda reforms.

The direct beneficiaries of the project are people who have gone through training in BTVET institutions supported by the project, including relevant internships and apprenticeships in enterprises and other collaborating entities. Other beneficiaries are (quoted from the Identification file) • ‘Clients’ of BTVET training institutions (graduates and employers) • Existing BTVET training institutions. These can be public and private-not-for-profit establishments (faith based, community) offering formal and non-formal training. • Managers and instructors of training institutions, e.g. through continuous professional development • The members of the Reform Task Force for Skilling Uganda (RTF), and its Executive Secretariat (ES), and at a later stage the SDA • The heads and staff members of directorates and departments at MoESTS, in particular BTVET department and DIT • Human Resources officers and technical staff engaged in enterprises, business organisations and trade unions

Project ID

BE-10-3016426

Activity status

2 - Implementation

Aid type

C01 - Project-type interventions

% to Uganda

100.00

Organisations

Funding

Directorate-general Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid

Implementing

BTC - Belgian Technical Cooperation - BTC

CRS code	%
Vocational training (11330)	100.0