From training at the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training College (UHTTC) in Jinja to earning a place among Africa’s top young culinary talent, Paul Terran Lugobe’s skills journey has now brought him to the world’s biggest stage for skills.
Lugobe took part in the hospitality skills competitions in Jinja where he excelled and went ahead to compete at the Ladha Za Afrika Culinary Competition at the Boma International Hospitality College (BIHC) in Nairobi, Kenya in April this year where he emerged the first runner-up in the cooking category.
Lugobe is now set to compete at the WorldSkills International Competition 2026 in Shanghai, China this September.
In preparation for Shanghai, Lugobe is currently undergoing training at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
He says his trainers at the five-star Hotel have pushed him to raise his standard every single day as he gears up to compete against the world’s best.
For Lugobe, the road to Shanghai has done more than sharpen his cooking skills — it has reinforced his belief in the value of hands-on, practical training, and the doors it can open for young people.
Lugobe is one of Uganda’s competitors set to showcase his skills at the global skills showdown, which brings together an estimated 1,400 competitors from more than 70 countries and regions to compete across 64 skill categories at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai from September 22 to 27.
Held every two years, WorldSkills International Competition is the world’s largest gathering of young skilled talent, drawing government leaders, global employers and education and skills experts alongside millions of visitors.
Lugobe’s upcoming journey to Shanghai coupled with the skills he has attained, demonstrate the power of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the lives of young people.
He says that the hands-on nature of TVET training gives graduates a competitive edge in the job market that conventional academic routes often do not.
“What motivated me to join TVET is that the skills we get from TVET institutions are very beneficial to the person. TVET institutions involve students more in practical training and employers/companies are always on the lookout for TVET graduates because they know that they possess hands-on skills,” Lugobe said.
His remarks echo a message of employers and assessment bodies that have repeatedly cast TVET as a critical driver of employment and national development.
Employers position TVET as the solution to youth unemployment and a skills mismatch between graduates and the labour market.
As Lugobe puts the finishing touches on his preparations at the Kampala Serena Hotel, a training environment known for producing some of the country’s top culinary talent, he says that his campaign in Shanghai should be watched as more than an individual bid for a medal. He says it is also a testament of how TVET investment can sharpen the skills of young people.
Lugobe says that in Shanghai, he will not showcase his excellent cooking skills but also benchmark the calibre of other skilled young professionals other countries are producing.
Lugobe makes the case for greater investment in technical and vocational education and training as a powerful pathway to employment and entrepreneurship.
