Chapter Five: Skills Training

Introduction
BTVET stands for Business, Technical, Vocational Education and Training. The objectives of BTVET are to:

• provide relevant knowledge, values and skills for purposes of academic progression and employment in the labour market;
• provide access to BTVET to a larger number of persons;
• improve the quality of BTVET;
• make BTVET affordable;
• enhance the productivity capabilities of the individual for employment and self-employment;
• monitor gaps between supply and demands for skills; and
• facilitate sound and sustainable financing and funding mechanisms for business, technical vocational education and training.

BTVET in Uganda is based on the following principles and concepts:

a) promote an integrated, demand driven and competent based modular BTVET system where learners enter the system at the various points suited to their skills and needs, with their qualifications certified and recognized at different levels;

b) promote the development of formal and non-formal institutions in the public and private sector;

c) incorporate and support training by non public BTVET institutions and non-formal enterprise based training;

d) recognize skills that are both formally and non-formally acquired;

e) link formal and non-formal education and training and their respective curricula;

f) establish a qualifications framework based on a defined occupational standards and assessment criteria for different sectors of the economy;

g) promote types of BTVET qualifications and the number of people to be trained in accordance to the market requirements:

h) increase equitable access to disadvantaged groups such as women and PWDs;

i) institutionalize guidance and counselling and advocate for sensitization and social mobilization;

j) promote continuous and lifelong business technical vocational education and training;

k) establish private-public partnerships and promote training with production concepts.

Scope and Levels of BTVET
The scope of BTVET covers all Business, Technical and Vocational Training from certificate up to diploma level and the level of BTVET is defined by the qualifications framework.

Public and Private Providers of BTVET
Public Providers:

Community Polytechnics
These institutions provide low cost accessible training opportunities for primary leavers and other target groups such as out of school children, unemployed and under employed persons.

Vocational Training Centres and Institutes
These institutions provide training leading to the acquisition of appropriate skills which are easily adaptable to changing economic and technological circumstances.

Technical Institutes
Those institutions have an intermediate polytechnic orientation and provide an integrated business technical Vocational education training and multi skills needed in industries and other economic and social spheres.

Technical Colleges and Specialized Training Institutions
These offer specialized training in specific fields such as:

• 
  
  nursing and midwifery;
• 
  
  allied health professional courses;
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  agriculture, forestry and fisheries (offered separately);
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  engineering and electronics;
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  meteorology;
• 
  
  carpentry, artisan, art and design;
• 
  
  music, dance and drama;
• 
  
  business and entrepreneurship;
• 
  
  hair dressing and beautifying;
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  mining;
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  catering;
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  tourism and hospitality;
• professional sports; and any other fields requiring specialized training.

Private Providers (Non-public Providers)
These include NGOs, religious organizations and essoclations, private companies and individuals who provide BTVET to individuals for gainful employment and self reliance.

Non-Formal Providers
These provide training aimed at upgrading skills and promoting indigenous technology.

Formal Enterprise Based Training
These provide industrial training which includes apprenticeship training and skills upgrading courses.