When Harriet Kasedde, a resident of Kiryowa II, Njeru Parish in Buikwe district encouraged her son to pursue technical and vocational education, she believed it would give him a future. Today, her conviction has been proven right, and she is now urging other parents to do the same for their children.
Kasedde says many young people spend years on the streets searching for jobs, yet technical and vocational education and training (TVET) offers practical skills that can secure employment or enable them to create their own enterprises.
“When you take your child to technical education, it helps him or her. When your child gets technical education, he or she won’t look for a job anywhere, but rather create one for him or herself,” she says.
“I advise parents to take their children to technical institutions. They will learn life-changing skills that can sustain them for the future,” she adds.
Her son, Joel Makongo, is a testament to that. After scoring a first grade in his S.4 (O-Level) examinations, Makongo opted for a diploma in bakery at the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI) in Jinja. The decision opened doors he had never imagined.
When we visited their home, Makongo was busy putting the finishing touches on a cake for a client – a reflection of the career he has built around his skills.
From a modest start, he now runs a bakery at his home and supplies cakes and pastries to clients across the region.
“I receive calls from people placing orders,” Makongo told us with a smile. “Some of my clients come from as far as Bugiri and Mbale. It shows how much the business is growing.”
Makongo’s career choice has offered him opportunities he never thought about.
His talent and training earned him a spot on Uganda’s team at the WorldSkills competition in Belgium in 2023, where he showcased his skills on the global stage, and won a bronze medal.
He also competed in the Second Road and Belt International skills competitions in China, further proving how TVET can elevate young Ugandans beyond national borders.
These achievements, Makongo says, gave him international exposure, confidence, and a network of opportunities.
Back home, these achievements have also boosted his credibility among clients, many of whom now trust his products because of his global recognition.
Kasedde takes pride in her son’s success but insists that the bigger lesson is for parents. She believes Uganda’s unemployment challenge can be solved if families embrace TVET as a viable option for their children.
For Makongo, the journey is only beginning, as he dreams of expanding his bakery into a fully-fledged enterprise.
