Hima Cement Limited, through its Tororo Grinding Station, has partnered with the Safal Uganda Baati Foundation (SUBF) to provide vocational training to 30 vulnerable, out-of-school youth in Nyangole Sub-county, Tororo District.
The initiative, which is being implemented in partnership with Tororo District Local Government through Nyangole Sub-county, is intended to equip selected young men and women with practical skills to improve their employment prospects and contribute to socio-economic development in the area.
Under the partnership, the beneficiaries will undertake technical training at the Safal Uganda Baati Technical Training Institute (SUBTTI). The programme is scheduled to begin in late 2026 and continue through 2027.
Upon completion, the trainees will receive career guidance and placement support to help them transition into employment or other income-generating opportunities.
Hima Cement will meet the cost of tuition, scholastic materials, accommodation, meals, uniforms and Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) assessment fees under its corporate social responsibility and community development programme.
Safal Uganda Baati Foundation will provide the required training materials and technical training for the beneficiaries.
Sushil Kumar Kulshrestha, General Manager of Hima Cement Limited’s Tororo Grinding Station, said the partnership was part of the company’s efforts to support vulnerable communities.
“Through this partnership, Hima Cement aims to make a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged youth in Tororo District, aligning with our commitment to community development and sustainability,” Kulshrestha said.
The nine-month programme will include six weeks of industrial training and internship and will lead to Modular National Certifications under TVET/UVTAB.
The trainees will be trained in areas including automotive mechanics, building and concrete practice, fashion and design, cosmetology, welding and metal fabrication, and digital literacy.
The programme will also incorporate business skills and financial literacy, Kiswahili and English, and mathematics.
In addition to technical training, the curriculum will include life-skills sessions on Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC), covering areas such as confidence building, financial management and health awareness.
The sessions will also address HIV prevention and management as well as gender-based violence.
George Mubiru, Head of the Safal Uganda Baati Foundation, said the partnership would help disadvantaged young people acquire skills needed to participate more effectively in the labour market.
“Our objective is to deliver high-quality, subsidised vocational education that empowers disadvantaged young people to develop resilience against social and health challenges, while equipping them with the skills necessary to thrive in the workforce,” Mubiru said.
He said the partnership would also support government efforts to create meaningful opportunities for young people.
“We appreciate Hima Cement Limited’s visionary approach in targeting the right beneficiaries and collaborating with us to transform the lives of vulnerable youth and their families,” he added.
The programme comes amid concerns over youth unemployment and skills gaps in Uganda’s labour market.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Labour Market Survey 2025, employers in formal businesses cited a shortage of suitably skilled workers as one of the main reasons more than 16,000 vacancies remained unfilled.
The survey also found that unemployment among young people was higher than the rate for the overall working-age population, which stood at 12.2% for people aged 15 and above.
Bukedi sub-region recorded the highest youth unemployment rates, at 37.1% among people aged 15–24 and 33.8% among those aged 18–30.
The report further showed that most employed young people work in the informal sector, accounting for 95.1% of working youth aged 15–24 and 91.5% of those aged 18–30, excluding agriculture, forestry and fishing.
