Table of Contents
Case Study

Pilot apprenticeship programme in the hotel sector in Uganda

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Uganda

Image of three people, one of them dressed in a chef's uniform talking to the others

Focus

Design and pilot an apprenticeship scheme with the intention of modelling and replicating the pilot on a national level to address skills gaps and improve employment opportunities for young people, including refugees.

In Uganda, apprenticeships had been identified as a national tool to address skills deficiencies in the labour market. Consequently, in 2018, the Cabinet approved the Uganda National Apprenticeship Framework (UNAF) and directed the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) to design and implement a National Apprenticeship Scheme. In doing so, national counterparts adopted a vision of WBL that offered hands-on skills development, engaged employers and tailored learning so that it aligned to industry needs. PROSPECTS partnered with the MGLSD to design and pilot apprenticeship schemes with the intention of modelling and replicating pilots on a national level under the UNAF. The MGLSD identified the hospitality sector for the pilot, based on Uganda’s growing hospitality and tourism industry and the sector’s status as one of the largest employers of young people. Hotels and the service sector were also inclusive of refugees, with several three- and four-star hotels located close to the main refugee-hosting areas.

The MGLSD helped convene key players in the hospitality sector, and coordinate and monitor compliance with UNAF guidelines, the labour law and related employment policies. Hotel owners were represented by the Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA), whose role was to mobilize employers, recruit apprentices and coordinate workplace training. An important measure was to ensure that the UHTTI and hotels could offer accommodation to apprentices during their training and work placements, particularly refugees coming from the settlements. The Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI) led on the development and delivery of the training curriculum, and on the assessment and certification of apprentices, in coordination with the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT). The DIT administered the government trade tests and issued trade certification. Workplace supervisors in each of the selected hotels were responsible for the apprentices and their learning outcomes. PROSPECTS developed a supervisors’ manual and training to help supervisors take up the role.

For the curriculum, four trades were identified in the hotel sector: food production, food and beverages, housekeeping and front-office management. The overall curriculum development process was led by the UHTTI, but all other partners (UHOA, DIT, MGLSD) were involved in the design and approval processes. Key to the curriculum development process was input from the hotel owners, who provided practical insight based on their day-to-day operations and business needs.

Apprentices spent 25 per cent of their time on theoretical training and 75 per cent on on-the-job training. PROSPECTS guided the UHTTI on specific outreach and training approaches that were accessible to refugees, with an emphasis on promoting social cohesion and assessing learning outcomes. PROSPECTS also supported the development and production of teaching materials and aids for TVET instructors and facilitators. These included training for facilitators in the use of the ILO handbook, Promoting Social Cohesion and Peaceful Coexistence in Fragile Contexts Through TVET. Trained facilitators included refugees from RYLOs who were supporting the rollout of TVET in the Nakivale settlement.  

The process of selecting apprentices was rigorous and time-consuming, but this was necessary to ensure employers and apprentices both experienced positive outcomes. Apprentices had to have a foundational skill set and motivation to pursue a career in the chosen profession. The application process involved several rounds of interviews, conducted by the UHTTI and UHOA, to assess foundational skills and work readiness. Although the young people targeted did not have to have previous work experience in hospitality, they did have to show enthusiasm for pursuing a career in the sector and the capacity to work independently. They were recruited from the Isingiro, Madi-Okolla and Terego districts, including from the two refugee settlements within them (Nakivale and Rhino). During the on-the-job training, apprentices first rotated among four trades to get a holistic appreciation of trades within the hotel industry, before choosing one of them to focus on for the remainder of their work placement. Throughout the course of the apprenticeship, apprentices maintained a logbook of learning, which was checked on a weekly basis by a workplace supervisor. These checks were used to monitor learning and ensure that the hotel was providing sufficient opportunity for the apprentices to work towards their predetermined learning outcomes. At the conclusion of the 12-month programme, the apprentices underwent theoretical and practical examinations administered by the UHTTI and hotel staff.

Of the first cohort of 100 refugee and host community trainees, 94 completed the training and graduated. The pilot helped raise the awareness of employers in the hotel sector of the availability of committed and skilled refugee workers at district level. Previously, many hesitated to employ refugees, believing that their temporary status and the fact that they lived in remote areas made them less reliable as employees. Having onsite housing for participants helped by giving young refugees the opportunity to prove themselves as committed and reliable trainees. One hotel reported that a refugee apprentice from a Francophone country had helped forge business with French clients and improve customer relations and ratings. This was only one anecdote but it does illustrate the value of having a diverse workforce and the skill sets refugees can bring to local businesses.

For the apprentices themselves, the programme opened doors to those who faced barriers in translating classroom-based training into a workplace environment. The training administered by the UHTTI involved cost and other logistical barriers that otherwise put the training beyond the means of the target group (refugee and host community young people not in employment, education or training). The programme covered enrolment fees at the UHTTI and provided living stipends for the duration of the pilot. These costs could be shared or covered by government bodies and employers in the longer term. The training was found to be highly practical and the nationally certified programme helped apprentices build experience and transferable credentials. The UHTTI found the training model practical and subsequently designed similar courses for the industry. In addition, it initiated work independently to collaborate with more industries on WBL, marking a notable shift away from the more general courses it had provided in the past.

The pilot also attracted attention from other donors, including the World Bank and the European Union, which supported two additional apprenticeship programmes designed by the MGLSD. The UHTTI, through the Ministry of Tourism, also attracted funding from the Ugandan government to run apprenticeship courses based on the PROSPECTS model. The government confirmed a funding line in the national budget to cover the costs of apprenticeships in the hospitality sector in subsequent years. It has since reviewed the curriculum and added two modules on pastry and barista/bartender, with approval by the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC). 

Success stories of trainees:

Find out more about the PROSPECTS programme’s wider learning on youth engagement.

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