With the October TVET intake around the corner, students across Uganda are once again thinking about what to study next.
But in a job market where having a qualification does not automatically translate into employment, another question is becoming increasingly important: What can you actually do with what you have learned?
It is a question that Luyanzi Institute of Technology (LIT) is seeking to address through a training approach that places practical skills and employability at the centre of the learning experience.
Located in Bweyogerere, Wakiso District, Luyanzi offers technical and vocational programmes designed to equip learners with practical competencies in areas such as Automotive Mechanics, Building Construction, Electrical Installation Systems and Maintenance, Fashion and Design, Hotel and Institutional Catering, Information and Communication Technology and Civil Engineering, among others.
The thinking behind technical education is straightforward. Instead of spending years acquiring knowledge without knowing how it will translate into work, students develop skills that can be applied in workplaces, businesses and entrepreneurial ventures.
That distinction matters in Uganda.
Every year, thousands of young people enter the labour market with academic qualifications, while employers continue to look for people with practical abilities, technical competence and experience relevant to the jobs available.
For a young person deciding what to study, therefore, the conversation has to go beyond the name of the qualification.
It has to include the skills behind it.
Can you install? Can you build? Can you repair? Can you operate equipment? Can you work with technology? Can you solve a practical problem? Can you turn a skill into a business?
These are some of the questions that make TVET increasingly relevant to the employment conversation.
Luyanzi’s approach also recognises that employability does not necessarily mean waiting for someone to offer you a job.
Technical skills can provide a foundation for self-employment, small businesses and freelance work, while also creating pathways into formal employment.
A person trained in electrical installation, for example, can seek employment while also developing the ability to take on private work. Someone trained in fashion can pursue employment while building a personal business. A person with ICT skills can work for an organisation while developing independent services.
That flexibility can be important in an economy where career paths are becoming less linear.
There is also another element to Luyanzi’s training model that adds to the employability conversation — Chinese language and culture.
Through its connection with the Confucius Institute at Makerere University, Luyanzi provides students with exposure to Chinese language alongside their technical studies.
For students entering fields such as construction, engineering, ICT, logistics and other sectors where Chinese companies and business interests are increasingly present in Uganda, the additional language can become a useful professional skill.
It does not guarantee a job, but it can complement a technical qualification and give a learner another capability to bring into the workplace.
This idea of combining skills is becoming increasingly important.
The employment market is not necessarily looking for people who know only one thing. It is increasingly useful to have a core professional skill alongside additional abilities that make a person adaptable.
Luyanzi’s October intake therefore offers students an opportunity to think about their education in terms of the skills they want to leave with, rather than simply the certificate they want to receive.
The institute’s location in Bweyogerere also gives students access to a dedicated campus environment, while accommodation and meals are available for those who need them.
For students and families concerned about the cost of technical education, bursary opportunities also provide another option to explore before making a decision.
This is particularly relevant because affordability remains an important part of the education decision for many Ugandan families.
And Luyanzi’s employability proposition is not limited to recent school leavers.
People already working can also use technical education to upgrade their skills, acquire another qualification or change their career direction.
Someone who has been working informally can seek structured training. Someone already employed can add another technical competency. Someone who has struggled to find work can develop a practical skill that creates another route into the economy.
That makes TVET relevant at different stages of a person’s working life.
Ultimately, the value of an education pathway increasingly comes down to what a learner can do with it.
A qualification can open a door, but practical competence is what a person carries through that door.
As the October intake approaches, Luyanzi is positioning its technical education around that reality — giving students an opportunity to develop practical skills, explore additional competencies such as Chinese language and prepare for a labour market where adaptability and usefulness increasingly matter.
For anyone deciding what to do next, the question may therefore be less about simply finding somewhere to study and more about finding somewhere that can help build skills for the world of work.
With the October intake approaching, the earlier prospective students explore their options, the more time they have to choose a programme, inquire about bursaries and accommodation, and prepare for the next stage of their careers.
