At least 3,620 young people have enrolled for free vocational training under the Presidential Initiative on Skilling the Girl and Boy Child (PISGBC), as demand for practical skills continues to grow among disadvantaged youth in Kampala.
The young people registered for the eighth cohort on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at five of the nine presidential skilling centres operating across the capital.
The PISGBC targets disadvantaged young people aged between 16 and 35, equipping them with practical skills to enhance self-reliance, employment opportunities and household incomes.
The six-month programme, established by State House in 2017 under the directive of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, offers training in a range of vocational disciplines, including tailoring, hairdressing, bakery, shoemaking, knitting, embroidery, weaving and leather design.
Upon completion, trainees will be assessed by the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) before graduating.
The nine centres are located across Kampala’s five divisions of Kawempe, Rubaga, Makindye, Nakawa and Kampala Central. They include Wandegeya Market, Mulago Community Hall, Mutundwe-All Saints Church of Uganda, Nakulabye-Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Luzira Prisons, Subway Skilling Centre, Wabigalo Parish Community Hall, Kigoowa-Ntinda and Kikoni-Makerere Community Hall.
Speaking at Mulago Skilling Centre, Dr Faith Katana Mirembe, Special Presidential Assistant on Education and Skilling and head of the PISGBC, said the programme has enabled thousands of young people who might otherwise have missed out on formal education to acquire skills for self-employment.
“The programme is designed to cater for young people who may not have had a chance to access formal education or who dropped out of school,” Katana said.
She said the initiative has also helped some young people abandon destructive lifestyles and become productive members of society.
“We have an overflow of young people who have been involved in bad practices like drug abuse and theft, but now they are changed citizens,” she said.
Katana thanked parents and guardians for embracing the programme and encouraging young people to enrol.
She clarified that the nine Kampala centres are specifically intended for vulnerable youth living in the city and do not admit applicants from upcountry districts.
Young people outside Kampala, she said, are catered for through Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs established in different regions.
Katana also encouraged trainees to consider weaving, describing it as an opportunity for young people to add value to locally available resources.
“This dress I am putting on was made from this skilling centre and it has a very good fabric. I therefore encourage you to do weaving,” she said.
She said the programme is intended to create a multiplier effect, with beneficiaries expected to use their skills not only to improve their own livelihoods but also to train and employ others.
“We are training industrialists,” Katana said, highlighting the programme’s wider objective of linking vocational skills development to Uganda’s industrialisation agenda.
Nkwanga David, the administrator of Mulago Skilling Centre, said the programme has particularly benefited young people from disadvantaged communities.
He said some trainees arrive with negative attitudes and behavioural challenges, but mentorship and mindset-change sessions help them transform as they acquire practical skills.
“The hands-on skills help the students to become self-employed and responsible after completing the six-month training,” Nkwanga said.
He encouraged more young people to embrace technical and vocational education as a pathway to employment and self-reliance.
Enrolment across Kampala centres
Mutundwe Skilling Centre enrolled 653 students against a target of 680. Tailoring, hairdressing and bakery each attracted 160 students, while 75 enrolled for shoemaking, 38 for knitting and 60 for embroidery.
The centre has 27 remaining slots, comprising 22 for knitting and five for shoemaking.
Mulago Skilling Centre recorded the highest enrolment among the five centres, with 1,035 students registering for 11 courses.
Hairdressing attracted the highest number with 250 students, followed by tailoring with 147, electrical installation with 143, electronics with 104, plumbing with 95 and welding with 83. Construction attracted 48 students, carpentry 27, embroidery 73, knitting 29 and leather design 36.
At Luzira Skilling Centre, 642 students enrolled. Hairdressing was the most popular course with 218 students, followed by bakery with 147 and tailoring with 145. Embroidery attracted 47 students, while leather design had 29, knitting 36 and weaving 20.
Wabigalo Skilling Centre enrolled 730 students, with motor vehicle training attracting the highest number at 134.
Electrical installation followed with 129 students, plumbing with 117, electronics with 103, construction with 81 and welding with 80. Carpentry attracted 47 students, while 39 enrolled for leather design.
At Kigoowa-Ntinda Skilling Centre, 560 students enrolled for the eighth cohort, comprising 89 boys and 471 girls.
Hairdressing was the most popular course, attracting 200 students, followed by bakery with 150 and tailoring with 98. Other trainees enrolled for embroidery, leather design, knitting and weaving.
The strong enrolment points to growing demand among young people for practical and vocational education, with the presidential skilling initiative providing opportunities for self-employment, improved household incomes and greater economic independence.
