UGANDA

The Ugandan Vocational Qualifications Framew ork (UVQF) w as officially introduced through the
Business, Technical and Vocational Training (BTVET) Act of 2008 as a part of the BTVET’s overarching
ten-year strategic plan ‘Skilling Uganda’ (M inistry of Education and Sports, 2011).

1. CHALLENGES THE NQF WOULD NEED TO ADDRESS

The most important sub-sectors of the Ugandan labour market are the informal economy and the
agricultural sector. Some 70 per cent of the Ugandan w orkforce continues to w ork in agriculture.
Employment in the non-agricultural informal sector (comprising mainly micro-enterprises, ow n
account w orkers and unpaid family w orkers) accounts for 18 per cent of total employment and 58 per
cent of non-agricultural employment.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Uganda is beset w ith problems. Chief
among these is the irrelevance of TVET programmes, w hich mars the productivity and employment
chances of an estimated 800,000 school leavers annually (Heitmann, 2012). Less than 40 per cent of
large and medium firms regard the course content and methodologies of BTVET institutions as
relevant. At the level of advanced technical qualifications, the limited coverage of practical skills as
w ell as soft skills (such as communication, computer literacy, customer care, problem solving, w ork
attitudes and ethics) in training programmes makes for low performance in modern w ork
environments (M inistry of Education and Sports, 2011).

Furthermore, only a narrow range of occupations are covered in BTVET programmes. Programmes do
not address the skills requirements of modern and emerging sectors such as hospitality, ICT,
business management and finance, mining and engineering, oil and gas, and environmental
technologies. Employers are rarely represented in the rigidly supply-oriented BTVET system. The lack
of a systematic labour market information system further decreases the system’s responsiveness to
demand.

2. M AIN POLICY OBJECTIVES

The UVQF’s objectives are to:
 align BTVET programmes and qualifications w ith the needs of the labour market, so as to
produce graduates w ith employable skills;
 allow employers and industry experts to play a significant role in defining occupational
standards and training content;
 safeguard against the institutionalization of supply-driven, academically-focused formal
training programmes, w hich in the past failed to equip graduates w ith skills relevant to the
needs of the labour market; and
 develop formal and (w here possible and appropriate) non-formal programmes based on
UVQF standards in order to facilitate progression w ithin the BTVET system (M inistry of
Education and Sports, 2011).

Section 3 (5) of the 2008 BTVET Act highlights the follow ing aims:
  to improve the relevance, accessibility, quality and affordability of BTVET for the purposes
of progression and employment;
 to enhance w orkers’ capabilities for employment and self-employment;
 to monitor gaps betw een supply of and demand for skills; and
 to establish financial sustainability and funding mechanisms.

Section 3 (3) of the BTVET Act defines the follow ing aims of the UVQF:
 to determine the scope and levels of BTVET programmes and the roles of the different
stakeholders in designing programme content;
 to separate training and delivery from quality assurance functions;
 to establish an institutional framew ork for the coordination of BTVET; and
 to establish an authority to regulate qualifications (standards, assessment and certification)
and training delivery in formal and non-formal institutions.

3. INVOLVEM ENT OF STAKEHOLDERS AND LEGAL ARRANGEM ENTS

Work tow ards a comprehensive qualifications framew ork for Uganda w as started in 2000 by a task
force set up by the BTVET department in the M inistry of Education and Sports (M oES). How ever,
w hen the German-supported Promotion of Vocational Education and Training (PEVOT) Programme
w as requested by the Government of Uganda, the focus w as shifted to the development of a sub-
sector framew ork for vocational qualifications only. The original idea to establish an autonomous
Qualifications Authority for vocational qualifications had to be abandoned due to resistance from
Parliament and the M oES (Heitmann, 2012). Nevertheless, the development of occupational profiles,
test item banks and modular curricula started in 2003 in a number of pilot projects.

The BTVET Act revitalized the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) w hich w as made dysfunctional in
1998 w hen all education and training functions w ere transferred from line ministries to the M oES.
The DIT is now the body in charge of quality assurance and assessment. Learners w ith employable
skills are encouraged to apply to the DIT for assessment irrespective of the duration and form of their
learning (formal, informal or non-formal) and of their gender and social background. The DIT started
issuing UVQF qualification certificates w ith effect from 2009, phasing out the aw ard of trade test
certificates. It assures employers that every UVQF-certified individual is able to perform the relevant
occupational tasks to the level of competence indicated on the qualification certificate.

The DIT is supervised by the Industrial Training Council (ITC), w hich is also the new policy-making
organ for Technical and Vocational Skills Development (TVSD) w ith representation from industry.

4. LEVELS AND DESCRIPTORS AND THE USE OF LEARNING OUTCOM ES

The UVQF has 5 levels. The level descriptors form a continuum in w hich the preceding levels are
subsumed w ithin those that follow .

Table 1: Generic Descriptors of Competence Levels

UGANDA VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAM EWORK (UVQF)
SUM M ARY OF GENERIC LEVEL DESCRIPTORS
Level Level descriptor Comparable
qualifications
Level 5 Candidate can apply a broad range of specialized know ledge
and skills to interpret technical information, modify concepts,
practices and procedures, and perform complex technical
Higher Diploma
operations in unpredictable contexts. Can undertake activities
(HD)
w ith a high degree of autonomy w hen results are checked on
by superiors. Show s a high degree of control of resources and
managerial performance.
 Level 4 Candidate can apply a substantial range of specialized
know ledge and skills to interpret technical information and
perform and modify complex operations in a variety of
Ordinary Diploma
contexts. Can undertake activities w ith a substantial degree of
(OD)
autonomy w hen results are checked on by superiors. Show s a
substantial degree of control of resources and managerial
performance.
Level 3 Candidate can apply a broad range of know ledge and skills to
perform complex w ork in varied contexts. Can undertake
activities as a ‘w orking supervisor’ w ith a substantial degree of
autonomy w hen results are checked on by superiors. Can find Certificate III
technical solutions and make proposals to modify technical
operations. Show s a moderate degree of control of resources
and managerial performance.
Level 2 Candidate can apply a moderate range of know ledge and skills
to perform less complex w ork in non-routine and occasionally
varied contexts. Can undertake directed activities w ith some
Certificate II
degree of autonomy w hile w orking in a team, and can find
simple technical solutions unaided. Show s a limited degree of
control of resources.
Level 1 Candidate can apply a basic range of know ledge and skills to
perform simple w ork in routine contexts. Can w ork w ith others
Certificate I
under direct supervision. If self-employed, show s a limited
ability to find technical solutions.
Elementary/ Candidate can apply a limited range of know ledge and skills to
Entry level perform specific and simple tasks in routine contexts. Can w ork
(partial w ith others under direct supervision. If self-employed, show s a Worker’s PASS
qualification) limited ability to find technical solutions. Transcript
Note: Elementary/entry level abilities w ill be aw arded a partial
qualification based on modular assessment and certification.
Source: M inistry of Education and Sports, 2011.

5. PROGRESSION PATHWAYS AND RECOGNITION AND VALIDATION OF

NON-FORM AL AND INFORM AL LEARNING
The BTVET Act of 2008 makes provision for the Assessment of Prior Learning (APL). Regulations to
facilitate APL are supported by both stakeholders and TVET graduates, w ho have expressed a w ish to
be granted access to higher education via APL. This is catered for by Section 20 (5) of the UVQF,
under w hich graduates of community polytechnics, vocational schools and training centres are
offered the opportunity to progress to the next level of learning. Individuals are encouraged to
undergo evidence-based assessments to determine the appropriate level for them. In this w ay,
learners w ho have acquired skills in the informal economy w ill have the chance to re-join the formal
system. In order to be meet the needs of APL learners, occupational qualifications programmes on
the UVQF are characterized by competence-based education and training (CBET) and flexible learning
modules delivered in the form of Assessment and Training Packages (ATPs).

In 2009 DIT w as able to assess roughly 2000 applicants on the basis of the old trade testing
regulations, how ever, using gradually a test item bank developed under UVQF. How ever, these
numbers must be seen in relation to the much larger numbers of students (18, 000 annually) w ho
appear for examinations in formal TVET schools (Heitmann, 2012, p. 22).

6. REFERENCING TO REGIONAL FRAM EWORKS

The Technical Paper on Harmonization of Education Systems and Training Curricula (East African
Community (EAC) Secretariat, April 2012) made several recommendations regarding the proposed
overarching qualifications framew ork for the East African region. The most important of these as
regards the UVQF are as follow s:
 A regional qualifications framew ork for TVET should be developed. It should feature
guidelines and regulations for instruction, curriculum management and examination and
assessment in the regional TVET sub-sector.
 A regulatory body should be established to accredit institutions and programmes, set and
control standards, standardize aw ards, and ensure the quality and relevance of TVET
programmes and assessment centres in the region.
 An inter-governmental body should be created to deal w ith TVET-related issues in the
region. The East African Community Secretariat should schedule regular meetings of TVET
experts to develop guidelines for harmonization of the regional TVET sub-sector.

7. IM PORTANT LESSONS AND FUTURE PLANS

The Ugandan Government’s vision for the future is to give all learners the opportunity to further their
education up to tertiary level via an overarching National Qualifications Framew ork (NQF) covering
general and higher education as w ell as TVET. The UVQF is seen as a forerunner to this framew ork,
w hich w ill make education and training in Uganda truly democratic.

The first step tow ards this goal in the immediate future w ill be to expand the UVQF up to diploma
level. This responds to the urgent request of employers to produce more diploma-level BTVET
graduates w ith relevant practical skills. Curriculum development w ill be accelerated based on UVQF
standards (M inistry of Education and Sports, 2011). The government also plans to raise the quality
and profile of vocational training by strengthening links betw een TVET and the private sector.

M AIN SOURCES OF INFORM ATION

BTVET. n.d. BTVET. Kampala, M inistry of Education and Sport. http://w w w .btvet-uganda.org/legal-
framew ork/btvet (Accessed 27 July 2011.)
BTVET Uganda. (n.d.), PEVOT. http://w w w .btvet-uganda.org/partners/pevot/ (accessed 18 February
2013).
East African Community (EAC). 2011. Regional Report: Harmonisation of the East African Education
Systems & Training Curricula. Arusha, East African Community Secretariat.
http://w w w .eac.int/education/index.php?option=com_content&view =article&id=73&Itemid=
145 (Accessed 27 July 2011.)
Heitmann, W. 2012. Lessons learned from selected National Qualifications Framew orks in Sub-
Saharan Africa. (Triennale on Education and Training in Africa, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso,
February 12-17, 2012). Tunis, Association for the Development of Education in Africa.
M inistry of Education and Sports. 2008. Revised Education Sector Strategic Plan 2007-2015.
Kampala, M inistry of Education and Sports.
http://w w w .i3c.co.ug/moes% 20uploads/Revised% 20Education% 20Sector% 20strategic% 20
plan% 202007-2015.pdf (Accessed 18 February 2013).
M inistry of Education and Sports. 2011. Skilling Uganda: BTVET Strategic Plan 2011-2020. Kampala,
M inistry of Education and Sports.
http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Uganda/Uganda_BTVET_Strategic_Plan_Final% 20Draf
t_8July2011.pdf (Accessed 18 February 2013).