Out of School, Into Work: Girls turn Home-Grown skills into certified careers

Jinja, Uganda | URN | In the modest kitchens of Akola Academy, near the shores of the River Nile at Busowoko village in Jinja, the scent of chicken and slow-cooking stews fills the air as young women in white and black uniforms work with calm precision. Not long ago, many of them believed their formal education had ended too soon. Now, they are on the cusp of professional certification, proving that a lack of school fees or university admission does not close the door to a dignified livelihood.

Docus Kasiri, 27, from Kamuli district, knows that feeling all too well. She sat her A-level examinations in 2017, full of ambition, but poverty stood in the way of university or any tertiary institution admission. “My world had stopped,” she said, simply looking up as if gazing at the years that had passed, adding that after school, she could only help with house chaos at home or help a relative in their retail shop business, but was literally earning nothing.

For a time, survival meant learning whatever she could from neighbours and family. She started baking informally, mixing, kneading, experimenting until the skill became more than a hobby. Then came the turning point when Kasiri heard that informal training could be formally recognised. Akola Academy in Jinja, a centre dedicated to empowering young women through practical vocational skills, took her in.

“The academy sharpened what I already knew, and recently I sat for assessment under UVTAB (the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board),” she said. Kasiri added that during assessment, given her skill and prior knowledge, she was assessed at level two and hopes to climb the ladder of certification. “This is only my starting point,” she said, eyes bright with possibility. “I want to keep gaining more skills, get a higher certification, and build something stable for myself.”

Elizabeth Agaso, 19, shares a similar journey. She completed Senior Four in 2024 but could not continue to A-levels or formal TVET training in institutions. “On paper, I was a school dropout, another number among those who start school and stop along the way,” she admits with a shy smile. Yet, like many Ugandan girls, she had grown up learning simple baking and cooking at home. When she was told those everyday skills could earn her money and even lead to official certification, she didn’t hesitate.

She too joined Akola Academy, continued polishing her craft, and was quickly hired at Kalic Hotel in Jinja. Her practical experience is already paying off. Like Kasiri, she has undergone UVTAB assessment and is awaiting her Level Two certificate, which will allow her to work without supervision.

Sumayiya Mbwali, 21, who sat her O-levels in 2024, made a deliberate choice too. Instead of chasing elusive further schooling, she opted to refine her cookery skills at the academy and prepare for a formal assessment. For Mbwali, as for the others, the path is no longer uncertain, and she too has already landed a job at Impala Suite Hotel in Jinja City.

Their stories are not isolated. Across Uganda, thousands of young people, especially girls, leave school early due to financial hardship, family obligations, or limited access to higher education. Yet many arrive at adulthood already equipped with valuable informal skills picked up at home, in family businesses, or through apprenticeships.

The main barrier has been recognition. Under the new TVET legal framework, the government is shifting this by mandating the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board to assess and certify skills gained through both formal and informal routes. According to Narasi Kambaho, the board’s spokesperson, assessments for informally acquired skills now run every quarter to allow better preparation and support.

“In the most recent round alone, we assessed nearly 13,000 candidates across trades such as baking, tailoring, hairdressing, plumbing, welding, solar installation, and poultry farming,” he said. Kambaho added that the aim is to issue credible credentials that open real opportunities, whether in formal employment or self-employment.

“That certificate is more than paper,” Kambaho says. “It confirms their effort and shows employers that their skills meet recognised standards. The assessment process bridges the gap between hands-on learning and professional standards.” Assessment and certification take place in flexible settings. However, the government now requires all assessment centres to register with the TVET Council.  These centres range from community salons and local garages to home-based workshops, where skills are passed on through informal training or apprenticeship.