{"id":32579,"date":"2026-10-01T09:41:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T06:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tridi.org\/?p=32579"},"modified":"2026-10-01T10:04:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T07:04:55","slug":"lugogo-vti-puts-youth-skills-to-the-test-as-practical-competence-takes-centre-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tridi.org\/skilling\/lugogo-vti-puts-youth-skills-to-the-test-as-practical-competence-takes-centre-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Lugogo VTI Puts Youth Skills to the Test as Practical Competence Takes Centre Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By John Jimmy Musimbi<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For nine young people at Lugogo Vocational Training Institute, 30 September 2026 was more than another day in the classroom. It was an opportunity to turn training into performance, knowledge into practical solutions, and skills into evidence of what young people can achieve when given a platform to compete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI), in collaboration with Lugogo Vocational Training Institute (VTI), held an Intra-Skills Competition at the institute in Kampala under the theme, \u201cUnlocking Youth Potential through Skills Competitions: Creating Visibility and Awareness.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The competition brought together nine participants, three young women and six young men, who tested their practical abilities across three trades: masonry, electrical installation and woodwork technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event formed part of efforts to raise the visibility of technical and vocational education and demonstrate how practical skills can equip young people with competencies relevant to employment, enterprise and sustainable livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The competition also provided a practical demonstration of the value of skills-based learning. Rather than being assessed only on what they know, participants were required to demonstrate what they could actually do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From classroom learning to practical solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the participants, the competition offered a chance to move beyond theory and apply classroom knowledge to practical tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Namajja Barbra, a first-year electrical installation student at Lugogo VTI, demonstrated a lighting circuit she had worked on during the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBehind me is the lighting circuit we have arranged during this competition. There is the main switch, three lamps and some sockets and switches. We have even the photocell sensor which can sense light and darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experience illustrates the kind of practical competence vocational training seeks to develop, skills that can be demonstrated, tested and eventually applied beyond the training environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gisma Yusuf, a Lugogo VTI student pursuing machine fitting, also highlighted the range of practical competencies acquired through training, including threading, filing, tapping, drilling, cutting and welding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have learnt a lot of skills. One is threading. I have learnt filing operations, I have learnt tapping, I have learnt drilling, cutting of circular holes by use of drill wheels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that students had also undertaken projects such as making lockers and welding components, demonstrating how technical training can connect classroom instruction with practical production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competence tested against practical standards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The competition was guided by practical assessments designed to test participants against set standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRIDI Skills Development Specialist Esther Nandutu, who designed the manual used for the building and construction competitions, explained that participants were required to demonstrate their ability through practical construction tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, the young women competed in building or constructing a barbeque wall structure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In electrical installation, participants were assessed on their ability to install lighting and power circuits through conduit systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joel Wamboka, an instructor in the electrical department at Lugogo VTI, said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have had a competition today and we had three participants. The module was the installation of lighting circuits, power circuits through conduit systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These practical assessments provided an opportunity to observe competence directly while giving learners a platform to demonstrate precision, creativity, problem-solving and technical application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making vocational skills visible<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The competition also responded to a wider challenge surrounding vocational education: despite growing demand for practical skills, vocational pathways are still undervalued in some communities and are sometimes treated as a second choice rather than a viable career pathway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For TRIDI and Lugogo VTI, creating visibility around what learners can actually produce and accomplish is therefore an important part of changing that perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event brought together TRIDI staff and Lugogo VTI trainers to support the competition and assess the competencies demonstrated by the learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ajwang Evelyn, a machine fitting instructor at Lugogo VTI, explained how practical training prepares learners for opportunities beyond the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that students are trained to operate different machines, produce parts and undertake projects that can eventually be useful outside the training environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese students, when they finish from here, they are taken to the industry. They can work in the industry… [or] buy their own machines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her observation points to one of the central purposes of vocational education: equipping learners with skills that can connect them to industry while also creating possibilities for self-employment and enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond competition: creating pathways to opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The significance of the Lugogo competition therefore extends beyond the nine young people who participated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By placing practical competence in the spotlight, the event demonstrated what can happen when young people are given opportunities to apply their training, receive feedback and publicly showcase their abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also provided an avenue for parents and communities to see vocational education not simply as an alternative pathway, but as a route through which young people can acquire practical competencies for employment, enterprise and sustainable livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For young women in particular, greater visibility of their participation in traditionally technical fields can help demonstrate that skills development opportunities are not limited by gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The competition ultimately reinforced a simple message: skills become more meaningful when they can be demonstrated, tested and connected to real opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Uganda continues to invest in youth skills development, platforms such as the Lugogo VTI Intra-Skills Competition provide an important link between training and the world beyond the classroom, where competence must translate into work, enterprise, innovation and livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For TRIDI and Lugogo VTI, the competition was therefore not simply about determining who performed best on the day. It was about making youth potential visible and showing, through practical evidence, what vocational training can unlock when young people are given the opportunity to perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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