Fort portal, Kabarole: A total of 51 youths have graduated from Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL)’s Learning for Life program which is in partnership with Tooro Kingdom, Enterprise Uganda, and EXP Uganda. This program equipped them with business and hospitality skills which increase their chances of finding employment in the hospitality industry to improve their livelihoods.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Uganda Breweries Sustainability & Communications Manager of Uganda Breweries, Suleiman Ngondi noted that there’s still a need to continuously look for interventions like these because they help to reduce income inequalities due to unemployment gaps in Uganda. Unemployment as causes a social burden where a high number of unemployed youths could lead to a high crime rate in society and unwanted pregnancies, and interventions such as these are necessary to equip youths with skills that will make them employable.
“Unemployment in this context refers to young people between 18 to 30 years who have the skills required to perform a job, and actively seek work but remain without income-generating opportunities. The economy is not creating enough jobs, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for youth to earn a living. This is why we thought it wise to take this training away from Kampala to give youth in other regions of Uganda an equal opportunity to attain these same skills,” Suleiman said.
“At UBL, we strive to equip youth with marketable job skills and experience that will give them an advantage and increase their chances to secure employment or start their own jobs,” he added.
Every year about 400,000 young Ugandans come onto the job market to compete for approximately 52,000 available formal jobs each year. About 30% of the youths who are institutionally qualified in Uganda are unable to find jobs, this situation is worse for semiskilled and unskilled youths.
Uganda Breweries Society 2030 sustainability action plan aims at a sustainable and inclusive world by 2030 for all to create a purpose-driven business that succeeds in the long term. Their commitment to inclusion and diversity is to ensure that 50% of beneficiaries from the brewery’s community programs are women and that these community programs are designed to empower underrepresented groups in various communities.
At the ceremony, the Tooro Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Nyakake, who represented the institution’s Prime Minister Calvin Rwomire Armstrong as Chief Guest commended Uganda Breweries together with its partners for the role they are playing in empowering youth in various communities.
In her remarks, Nyakake also encouraged the graduands to remain open-minded and seek out similar skilling opportunities in order to expand their skill set thus becoming specialists in their respective hospitality fields to make them more competitive in the job market.
“Never stop learning because graduation is not the end of your learning journey; it is only the beginning. The more you invest in your personal and professional development, the greater your potential for success. The hospitality industry is ever-evolving, and it requires individuals who are adaptable, innovative, and committed to continuous growth. Always be open to new experiences, and never stop learning,” she stated.
