COVOID is transforming the lives of vulnerable youth through its community-based Informal Apprenticeship Vocational Skills Training model, designed to equip out-of-school young people with practical skills and real income-earning opportunities. In many poor communities, young people—especially girls—lack access to quality learning, meaningful employment pathways, and technical institutions that accommodate those with limited formal education. As a result, conventional training programs often fail to meet their unique needs or open doors to decent work. COVOID bridges this gap by offering relevant, hands-on vocational and life skills training that empowers disadvantaged youth and women to secure productive and dignified employment. With youth making up 70% of Uganda’s population and facing an unemployment rate of 80%, the organization focuses on scaling access to market-driven skills such as hairdressing, tailoring, carpentry, welding, cookery, mechanics, and electronics. Through this inclusive approach, COVOID not only enhances employability but also contributes to poverty reduction, improved livelihoods, and greater participation of young people in the formal economy.
How the approach works and why is it applicable?
- The Program approach sets out to assist out of school young people/youth to become self-reliant by sharpening their current skills and developing new ones, as well as by increasing their self-confidence. The training creates sustainable learning opportunities that nurture youth empowerment and socioeconomic inclusion. The training approach also breaks the cycle of youth marginalization and vulnerability that undermines individual, community and national development prospects.
- Informal Apprenticeship where the Youth learn skills while working on enterprises, learning alongside a craftsperson/master artisan on trades such as Carpentry, Hair dressing, Bakery, welding, metal fabrication among others.
- It involves placement of youth identified from vulnerable households for both refugees, host communities and other vulnerable community members.
- The apprentice/ Youth work with the master artisans and learns the respective trade on the job. The master artisans who are more experienced or knowledgeable, help to train and mentor the youth in the selected trade.
- The informal Vocational skills model is more cost effective and practical than sending youth for formal vocational institutes.
- Placing youth with artisans near their households reduces cost and time spent in transit.
