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Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE)
Promotion of Youth Employment and Social Dialogue
The results of a 2002 Population & Housing Census confirmed that the majority of youth in Uganda are either unemployed or underemployed. When young people are unable to acquire relevant work skills and experience before the age of thirty they often abandon all hope of finding employment opportunities in the future and become what is known as "discouraged workers." This crisis of youth unemployment not only undermines national, political and economic development but can also lead to social unrest, crime and drug abuse. The FUE Youth Employment Project endeavoured to address this challenge by focusing on closing the gap in skills that exists in Uganda between the competencies of young job seekers and the needs of the business community.
The project's main objectives have been to increase the ability of the organization to deliver a skilled workforce tailored to the needs of industry in Uganda, and to equip young job seekers with labour market information in preparation for entry into the labour market.
To achieve this the FUE started by conducting a survey among training institutions, government officials and youth in enterprises, which examined the skills gap between what the education system is offering and skills required in the manufacturing, hotel and tourism and agro-processing sectors (FUE, 2008). One of the main findings of the survey was that tertiary training largely provides theoretical skills sidelining the practical skills which are essential in the labour market. Since the survey was published the FUE has developed vocational education guidelines based on the study's findings and published an extensive newspaper article highlighting the key issues and providing suggestions on how to the various stakeholders should tackle them.
The FUE also developed a Guide for Employers on the Employment of Young People, which aims to assist companies with a commitment to stimulating youth employment. The Guide outlines practices employers can take to ensure that a greater number of young people enter decent and productive work.
In 2008 a Mentoring Programme was also set up by the FUE to help equip pupils/students with relevant work skills and support them in pursuing their career goals. Mentoring Guidelines were produced for both mentors and mentees and more than 600 young men and women have participated in orientation courses conducted by the FUE at various institutions.
Five Youth Clubs with a total membership of 254 people were also formed at a number of training institutions. The aim is that these Clubs will serve as structures under which the FUE will mentor students, provide information and career guidance. One of the requirements of the Club members is that before they leave the school, they induct a new member to take their place.
In December the FUE project conducted a employability skills training workshop for 30 young men and women on work ethics, mind set for employment, CV writing, interview skills, communication among others.
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