The number of girls entering Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has jumped to 41%, up from 35.7% registered in 2024.
This was revealed by the Minister of State for Higher Education John Muyingo who was representing the Minister of Education and Sports and First Lady Janet Museveni at the release of the assessment results of Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) in Kampala.
Muyingo described the shift as an encouraging sign that government efforts to broaden access to vocational training are gaining traction.
“I am glad to note that both male and female trainees are progressively joining TVET institutions with the female candidature rising from 35.7% in 2024 to 41%. I wish to commend the parents of these candidates for adhering to our call to join TVET,” Muyingo said.
The rise comes on the back of a special government sponsorship programme that annually targets female trainees and persons with disabilities — a deliberate move to make vocational training more inclusive and to dismantle the social barriers that have historically kept women away from technical fields.
Muyingo called on parents, community leaders, teachers, and civil society organisations to keep amplifying the message about the value of technical and vocational education.
“I encourage every stakeholder to continue sensitising the public to support youth to pursue TVET courses and programmes. This will go a long way to building a skilled, inclusive, and sustainable workforce that will drive Uganda’s socio-economic transformation,” he said.
Beyond the enrollment numbers, the Minister reaffirmed the government’s long-term financial commitment to the TVET sector. In the 2025/2026 academic year, the government increased funding allocations for trainee sponsorships, with the additional resources earmarked for expanding training facilities, procuring modern equipment, and developing curricula that respond directly to what industry needs.
“I would like to reaffirm the Government’s unwavering commitment to the development of TVET as a cornerstone of Uganda’s development agenda,” Muyingo stated. “In recognising the critical role that a skilled workforce plays in achieving our national goals, the Government has allocated more funding for trainees’ sponsorship to enrol for TVET programmes since the academic year 2025/2026.”
The investment, he explained, is not a standalone charity — it is strategic. Government spending on TVET is fully anchored within the National Development Plan IV, Vision 2040, and the Ten-fold Growth Strategy, all of which identify a skilled workforce as essential to unlocking growth in manufacturing, agriculture, information and communications technology, and other key economic pillars.
Muyingo’s recognized efforts by UVTAB and training providers to build assessment environments that do not leave persons with disabilities behind.
“I wish to appreciate the Board and training providers’ efforts in creating an inclusive assessment environment that caters for persons with special abilities. Our goal is to make TVET truly accessible and equitable, providing opportunities for all Ugandans to participate and excel,” he said.
This focus on disability inclusion reflects a broader push to ensure that Uganda’s skills agenda does not become the preserve of a particular demographic but reaches the margins of society where unemployment and underemployment tend to bite hardest.
Looking ahead to the 2026/2027 financial year, the government has allocated specific funds to UVTAB to review and develop TVET curricula — a process the Minister said must not happen in isolation from the private sector.
“I call upon the industrial players and all other stakeholders to collaborate with the entire TVET system. Your partnership is vital in shaping a responsive, dynamic, and high-quality TVET.”
The Board, he noted, is already in active engagement with key players from industry and professional fields, working to build what he described as a skills ecosystem that promotes lifelong learning, adaptability, resilience, and problem-solving — qualities increasingly demanded by a fast-changing labour market.
For a country where youth unemployment remains a huge challenge, the direction being charted through TVET carries weight far beyond classroom walls.
