Kampala, Uganda | URN | All persons seeking to serve as trainers in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions must possess both professional competence in their trade and formal knowledge of how to teach, the TVET Council has said.
Moses Kasakya, the TVET Council’s Executive Director, said the two requirements are critical if trainers are to remain relevant under the paradigm shift ushered in by the country’s new TVET reforms.
He made the remarks in a sideline interview during the Council’s tour of Nakawa Vocational Training College in Kampala. The visit is part of efforts by the newly established Council to understand the institutions and practitioners it regulates before fully enforcing the provisions of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act, 2025.
Currently, many institutions, both public and private, employ several professionals who are highly skilled in their trades but lack pedagogical training on how to teach.
Kasakya said technical expertise alone is insufficient, adding that trainers need pedagogical skills to effectively teach both young people and older learners. He urged those wishing to continue working as TVET trainers to enrol at trainers’ colleges and undertake the required pedagogical training.
Under Section 63 of the TVET Act, a person shall not be registered as a TVET trainer unless they have undergone basic andragogy training to enable them to transmit knowledge, skills and competences to trainees, and have been subjected to a vocational fit assessment to confirm competence in their field.
Section 69 provides that no person shall engage in TVET training with a public or private provider without a licence issued by the Council. Continuous professional development is also mandatory.
Uganda currently has few institutions offering instructor training. They include National Instructors’ College Abilonino (NICA), which prepares technical and vocational instructors; the Health Tutors’ College Mulago, which trains instructors for health-related TVET courses; and Kyambogo University.
Sulah Kakeeto, a TVET trainer in Kampala, urged the government to establish regional training centres to make pedagogical training more accessible, as the limited number of colleges and their capacity to handle trainees could make compliance difficult for trainers living far from the existing centres.
“Not every trainer can travel long distances to one or two centres, and the existing colleges cannot accommodate large numbers at once if many of us seek to qualify,” he said. “Regional centres would make the requirement more practical and allow us to comply without disrupting our work.”
Beyond pedagogical training, the Council insists that every TVET trainer must remain attached to industry and practise daily what they teach. The requirement is intended to end “theoretical TVET,” in which instructors pass on knowledge from textbooks without current practical experience.
Kasakya illustrated the point by noting that a plumbing instructor must work with a plumbing firm, while those teaching electrical or mechanical engineering must remain employed in relevant companies. Licence renewal will depend in part on demonstrated ongoing industrial engagement.
During the meeting, Robert Gumisiriza, the principal of Nakawa Vocational Training College, told the visiting Council team that the institution Currently lack a governing body and has been severely understaffed since its upgrade from an institute to a college. Enrolment has risen, yet both teaching and non-teaching staff numbers have not kept pace.
In reply, Kasakya said gaps in governance and staffing would be addressed during the transition. He noted that the TVET regulations, which are now in place, provide guidance on the formation of governing councils for TVET providers.
“Previously, trainers were recruited by the Education Service Commission, but the mandate has now been transferred to the governing councils,” he said. “Once these councils are established, they will address the other outstanding issues.”
Gumisiriza also highlighted the high cost of training materials and consumables, saying the expense was making practical skills training more costly for institutions and harder to deliver effectively. He noted that TVET programmes require learners to work with tools, equipment and other materials to acquire hands-on skills, placing additional pressure on training providers to meet these needs.
“The materials and consumables required for practical training are expensive; training institutions must provide them for learners to gain the necessary hands-on experience, but the cost makes delivering this training more challenging,” he said.
Kasakya responded that institutions can overcome material costs by adopting “training with production,” in which learners use materials to produce goods or services that can be sold, generating income to sustain further practical training.
Training with production is expressly provided for under the TVET Act. Section 61 lists revenue generated through training with production among the funds of a public TVET provider. In addition, Section 110 requires TVET providers to remit 10 per cent of the gross annual revenue earned from such production activities to the Skills Development Fund.
The TVET Act, which commenced on 15 March 2025, establishes the Council as the national regulator responsible for the registration and licensing of providers and trainers, quality assurance, and alignment of skills development with labour-market needs.The reforms aim to produce graduates who are practically competent rather than merely certificated, and to strengthen the link between training institutions and industry.
