The lack of practical skills has been blamed for the huge number of unemployed Ugandans some of whom have formal education. Well as some people blamed training institutions for only offering theoretical courses, trainers said many institutions lacked resources to buy equipment for practical lessons. “We have been using the Academic competency only and people come to class, they learn and they go. That cannot produce an industrialist. An industrialist is produced when he sees; if I’m in a training to make a sausage, for example, I must be able to see where the sausage is made, I must be able to interact with people making sausages, I must be able to even interact with other none science competencies like marketing, social skills and to have all that training together, it is very expensive.” Said, Dr. Michael Kansiime – Director Programs, AFRISA.

The game changer could be grants such as the Skills Development Facility (SDF), a government program funded by the World Bank. The facility shall act as a resource base for training institutions as they strive to improve on practical training. “When people see they learn better than when they hear. So we intend to ensure that our participants are exposed in the enterprises of their interest such that they come, they know the challenges, and they know the benefits from other industrialists doing them. Such that they come when they know the sector very well, and the industry very well.” Said the Director Programs, AFRISA. Qualifying students will attend this training for free. Ruth Biyinzika the Head of the Skills Facilities Project said that qualifying institutions will have to prove that they can fund up to 25% of the whole budget. “And we are looking at institutions that can offer short-term innovation training programs in sectors that can take Uganda forward. We are so keen on Agriculture, we are so keen on Oil and Gas, we are so keen on Construction, we are so keen on Manufacturing and we are so keen to see; is there demand? Is it something that can give you temporary employment in case we put in money?” Said, Ruth Biyinzika – Head Project, SDF. The successful ones will each receive a maximum of 350,000 US Dollars an equivalent of 1.2 billion Ugandan shillings. The Skills Development Facility will be a five-year project and will run up to 2020.