VOCATIONAL SKILLS FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Borrowing a Leaf from China’s Economy
The economic reforms that were introduced by Deng Xiaoping in the late seventies have transformed the Chinese economy and produced a period of spectacular growth. China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at an average rate of 9.3 percent between1979-1993. The world experienced a growth rate of 2.6 percent for the same period. China’s GDP has also quadrupled over a period of only fifteen years. It has also improved its status as a trading nation, rising to eleventh position from number thirty-seven in ten years. Another important fact is that China has accumulated a large foreign currency reserve and is second in the world to Japan. China has also taken advantage of foreign investment and is also rated second in the world, after the US. It is important to realize that the above figures do not include any contribution from Hong Kong, which China regained as a possession in July 1997.
While China’s performance has been impressive, it also has the potential to maintain this growth. It has a massive population, which represents not only a large domestic market but also a cheap labor source of some eight hundred million people. It is also a country that is blessed with vast natural resources. The current economic problems in Asia have not had a major impact on China, though there are predictions of slower growth. However, it was expected that China would become the world’s largest economy, in terms of GDP by 2020.
Uganda could also take the same or a similar development route if its education system gets an overhaul as aligned with China’s.
Technical and vocational education and training plays an essential role in improving the wellbeing of youths, elderly, children and communities at large. It increases productivity, empowers an individual to become self reliant and stimulates entrepreneurship.
Currently vocational training is not popular among Ugandan youths. It is mostly regarded inferior compared to a university degree. A change in thinking is needed. Uganda doesn’t only rely on doctors, lawyers and the likes. Good tailors, beauticians, welders, carpenters, electricians and others are as vital to the development of a country such as this. In general, these vocations provide more employment opportunities and the option of becoming self-employed.
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Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UNBS) estimates that: 64% of the unemployed Ugandans are between the age of 18 and 30 years. Uganda has the second youngest population in the world. Ugandan youth account for 7 million out of the total population of 39 million. This is a huge challenge for the Ugandan government especially given the rapid growth of the population.
One of the problems is that many youths do not have the skills employers are looking for. This is due to the disconnection between the degree achieved and the vocational skills needed for the jobs that are in demand for workers.
Tropical Institute of Development Innovations, (TRIDI) firmly believes in the need for a paradigm shift in the skilling gap. With the good will and dedication of TRIDI, Uganda is set to become the main centre for excellence in practical skills and innovations in Africa through training the young populace in the different practical fields such as; tailoring(cloth making), cosmetology (beauty) engineering (electrical and mechanical), apiculture (bee keeping maintenance and its commercialization ), applied chemistry (waste management and water purification, making of soaps, candles, pen and pencil making, oil extracts, processing medicines, food processing, drink processing, processing fuel gas from biomass, manufacturing oxygen, manufacturing disinfectants, processing animal feeds, wine production, pesticides and insecticide manufacture, manufacturing of detergents, mineral mining, petroleum production, skin products, among others).
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Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI) @ http://www.tridi.org is aware of this challenge and is implementing a strategic plan known as ‘Sericulture‘ under the project label, ‘Commercialization of Sericulture Technologies and innovations in Uganda’ to support the government’s call for more skilled youths and works closely with the Science, Technology and Innovations Sector under the President’s office, to improve the quality of the Ugandan industrialization and training at both local and international levels.
Sericulture is an economic activity that involves the cultivation of mulberry plant to feed caterpillars called ‘silk warms’ which produce houses called cocoons that are turned into silk yarns from which silk fabrics are made.
Protein fibre of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. Sericulture has become an important cottage industry in the world today, creating employment for millions of rural and urban people.
This industry is full of financial possibilities for every individual who practices it. This is because there is earning in every step of the production; one can reap from mulberry leaves, cocoons, raw silk and the silk garments depending on their interest and production capacity.
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Earning Breakdown
In commercial production, an acre of Sericulture Industry Value Chain offers a minimum of six: one for mulberry cultivation, two in
Silkworm rearing, one in post cocoon technology, one in making silk fabric and one in marketing of the silk fabric job opportunities. -
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At an average of USD: 81 per worker per month, each worker in Sericulture industry will earn USD: 97 from one acre of cultivated land by selling silk yarn. Going up the value chain; each kilogram of silk yarn produces 9.3 meters of pure silk cloth (grey fabric) whose price ranges from USD:10 to about USD:20 per meter. 180 kilograms of yarn can produce 1,674 meters which at a rate of USD: 10/meter results into USD: 16,740. A farmer when provided with a handloom for weaving cloth can thus earn USD: 16,740 an equivalent of from one acre by selling silk cloth but can even earn more if gets better price for the cloth especially if there is a mixture of mulberry yarn with yarn/threads from wild silk.
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Life can be more simplified if an individual opted for a practical skill after S.4, S.6 or even a higher level of education to be able to join these projects and live by them.
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