News

The workplace component program to support student development in Uganda

12-01-2022

From 1 until 4 December 2021, three representatives of Kyambogo University (KyU) and Bukalasa Agricultural College (BAC) conducted a pre-visit to the learning farm of Kilimo Kisasa Ltd in Zombo District, West Nile region for the workplace component of the Strengthening skills and training capacity in the horticulture sector in Uganda project.

To establish a sustained triple helix horticulture innovation platform in Uganda is one of the outputs that the project is going to realize. Through setting up this workplace program, teachers and students are attached to industry to obtain practical horticulture training and work experience at selected locations in collaboration with the private-public sector. Kilimo Kisasa Farm has been identified to pilot the workplace program and a familiarization visit was organized for 3 teachers from KyU and BAC. The goal of this 4-day familiarization visit was to asses of the potential that the workplace program can have at a modern private farm for KyU and BAC students, to give the teachers an insight to practical on-farm workplace conditions and assignments and to explore potential future subjects for the students’ workplace assignments.

The pre-visit created a lot of positive energy among the organizers, the visitors and the farm staff. And it generated with all involved a commitment to bring this inspiring activity of workplace attachment development to a success in the coming year.

Based on this first visit, a follow-up session will be organized between KyU, BAC and Ecopolis to discuss among other the actions that will be taken to develop practical procedures of an effective workplace program, field testing and how to involve the workplace program in the triple helix approach.

About the project
This project titled “Strengthening skills and training capacity in the horticulture sector in Uganda“ is managed by MSM who together with consortium partners Q-Point B.V., Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Ecopolis Europa and Egerton University  capacitate Kambogo University (KyU) and Bukalasa Agricultural College (BAC). The project aims at strengthening the skills to improve the horticultural situation in Uganda. This is mainly achieved via strengthening the educational situation at A-TVET level. The project focuses on three main output areas: curriculum review and development, institutional capacity development at KyU and BaC and the establishment of a triple helix horticulture innovation platform. Main activities of the project are curriculum development, module development, training of teachers in activating didactics, strengthening linkages with the horticultural practise, and stimulating horticultural entrepreneurship.

Orange Knowledge Programme
These projects are part of the Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) which is funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by Nuffic. For more information click here.

MSM's Expert Centre for Emerging Economies

This institutional collaboration project is part of MSM's Expert Centre for Emerging Economies. The department is an expert centre on local economic development in emerging and developing markets.​ We capacitate managers and professionals from government, private sector, NGOs, and post-secondary education in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America. We offer consultancy and customized training programs, and we manage complex projects in key sectors, e.g. water, agriculture and health. For more information click here.

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