The professional life of Olivia Nanyange will never be the same after she was accepted into the i-Serve program of the Kampala Capital City Authority, KCCA. Nanyange graduated in 2013 with a Bachelors Degree in Social Works and Social Administration but she is different from many fresh graduates who lack employability skills. Nanyange has been in the i-Serve program for two months and since then, she has gained skills which place her at a higher advantage in the job market compared to other graduates.
Nanyange says that by the time she completes her six months experience with the I-Serve program, she will be ready for formal employment because she has skills in report and work plan writing, monitoring and evaluation and performance improvement. Nanyange is one of the 60 youth who are in the first cohort of the i-serve program. In this program, youth are placed in KCCA structures as volunteers. The second cohort is expected to be recruited in three months time. The program was launched by the Executive Director of KCCA Jennifer Musisi yesterday at the KCCA employment bureau.
Musisi challenged employers to nurture young people who will create jobs as a means of reducing the youth unemployment. Musisi said that there will never be enough jobs world over but employers can help in mitigating this by supporting skills development for youth through offering them internship and volunteering opportunities.
Musisi said that in today’s job market, employers need young people who can be trained instead of denying them opportunities because of lack of experience. She argued that the young people are very innovative and creative, thereby adding so much value to an organization or company. The KCCA director advised the youth who are employed not to focus on only their jobs as a source of income but venture in other income generating activities to supplement their earnings. She further asked the young people to always uphold their integrity as a means of fighting corruption.