TVET Communication, Marketing and Rebranding Strategy - 2021/22 - 2025/26

Abstract

Uganda's demography is increasingly becoming a critical challenge unless the opportunities for meaningful employment are developed. The industries that employ Uganda's highest population and therefore drive economic growth are the Agricultural sector, Manufacturing sector, Construction sector, Oil and Gas sector, and the Tourism and Hospitality Sector; these sectors require a skilled workforce for better production. The Workforce Skills Development Strategy and Plan for the Oil and Gas Sector stipulate the need for accredited technicians to support the Oil and Gas industry. In the quest to become a middle-income economy, Uganda needs skilled workers to drive industrial growth and development. However, Universities and higher institutions of learning graduate over one million youth annually, the majority of whom end up unemployed. Uganda's greatest labor challenge is conventional training that does not address the skills needs of its industries. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has proven to be the most reliable education pathway for both formal and informal employment. This sector has however been shunned by most Ugandans as the least career pathway to success. This perception has prevented many young men and women from joining TVET. The Government of Uganda continues to invest in reforming TVET and has over the past ten (10) years made a strategic policy shift from merely awarding certificates to TVET graduates, to the development of a comprehensive system for the development of demand-driven skills for individual growth as well as national development. This new direction will only make sense to a majority of Ugandans if they are sensitized on the offerings and opportunities that TVET presents. This five (5) year Communication, Marketing, and Rebranding Strategy (CMR Strategy 2021/22- 2025/26) for TVET has therefore been developed to address this challenge. The strategy has been informed by a national perception study featuring consultations with various TVET stakeholders including trainees, parents, and the youth; policy makers, development partners, employers; instructors, and TVET managers at various levels. Regional and international initiatives have been explored, and reports and publications from other parts of the world carefully considered to enrich the content of this document. The solutions prescribed herein, therefore, are relevant to Uganda's TVET sector and beyond. The CMR Strategy for TVET has been developed in conformity with Uganda's National Development Frameworks including Vision 2040, and the National Development Plans I, II, and III. It is also in harmony with the new TVET direction as stipulated in the Skilling Uganda Strategy 2012/22 and the TVET Policy. The strategy also synchronizes with the Government of Uganda's National Communication strategy-2011, the National Social Media Strategy, and the Ministry of Education and Sports' Communication and Advocacy Strategy. The actions prescribed herein are therefore aligned with the country's strategic direction. Changing public perception of TVET in Uganda is an uphill task that will require a consistent, gradual, and progressive process, involving deliberate public awareness efforts to create a better understanding and appreciation of TVET and its offerings in the labor market. An aggressive marketing approach will also be required to position TVET as a first-line career option for Ugandans. This will be hinged around a new, fresh, attractive, and long-lasting TVET brand to foster renewed interest in the sector. Enhancing the capacity of TVET stakeholders to continuously engage Ugandans to enroll for TVET will be vital to the implementation and sustainability of this strategy.