GRADUATION OF I SERVE YOUTH VOLUNTEER PROGRAM BENEFICIARIES

GRADUATION OF I SERVE YOUTH VOLUNTEER PROGRAM BENEFICIARIES

As a City Administration our vision is to have a Vibrant Attractive and Sustainable City, and this requires active participation of all actors within the city in the economic and social development process. Youth are among the key players in realising this goal, however like any other group they are faced with a number of challenges that impede their positive participation in the same. One of such challenges is the high level of Youth Unemployment which now stands at 64% between the ages of 18-30 nation wide

One of the major causes of unemployment is the inappropriate labour profile of the youth required for the demand side of the labour market. As KCCA we established the Employment Service Bureau to help address the high unemployment rate among young people in Kampala through placement of youth in gainful employment, implementing training and skills development through volunteer/apprenticeship programs and in-house mentorship, counselling, entrepreneurship and mind-set change programs. To date the centre has supported over 10,000 youth through the different interventions.

The aim of the I-serve Youth Volunteers program specifically is to provide young people with work placements in host Organisations / Institutions in order for them to gain employment experience; whereas acquiring practical skills, competencies, ethics and knowledge that prepares them to work, lead and contribute to development of their communities.

The fourth and fifth Cohorts graduating today mainly focused on youth with a background in Agriculture and Animal health, they have been equipped with the relevant skills and knowledge for the agricultural sector Labour market. The volunteers were attached to the KCCA Agricultural Extension Program to support farmers within the city while gaining practical experience in the agricultural field. Based on the statistics out of the 56 (M-32, F-24) successfully enrolled on the program 40 (29 Male, 11 Female) have joined employment and started business ventures and 4 have joined for Masters Studies. Some of the employment agencies include MAAIF, YALELO, NARO, Post Bank, Plant Village etc.

We appreciate the volunteers for their contribution to the work of KCCA and are certain that this experience has opened greater opportunities for them.

To our esteemed partners – ILO, Challenges Uganda, GIZ, Mercy Corp, VSO, Boundless Minds, Start Hub, Staffable  Plan International among others we want to thank you for partnering with KCCA and providing employment and training opportunities to these young people. The success of ISERVE program is largely hinged on the work and dedication of those involved in providing placement and employment to our graduates. The I-serve pool is a good one to source for hiring because they have been reskilled, motivated and tested over a period of time.

We thank you all for collaborating with KCCA.  We call on many more partners to join in the effort to reduce youth unemployment in Kampala.

For a Smart City