Free Access | 2024-04-12

Career guidance and counselling: A bridge in reducing skills-job mismatches in Uganda?

Authors/Editors: Madina M. Guloba (PhD) ,  Blessing Atwine

Abstract:

Career guidance is key in developing relevant skills in students and pursuing the qualifications required in the job market. A significant number of young people would currently be gainfully employed had they received correct career guidance. Although the Ugandan government has made efforts to invest in career guidance and counselling through the Ministry of Education and Sports, evidenced in this brief shows there are still glaring gaps. These are in the form of lack of trained counsellors by most schools, inadequate capacity building in the provision of career guidance, poor funding, inadequate training manuals, lack of career information resulting from a disconnect between the learning institutions and industry and high student counsellor ratio. Given these challenges, this brief recommends building the capacity of teachers to deliver career guidance and counselling to students, employment of trained counsellors in schools, and a more deliberate engagement of private sector professionals and parents in the provision of career guidance and counselling.