TVET Act 2025 opens door to certification for skills acquired through work

COMMENT | NANTEZA SARAH KYOBE | For generations, Ugandans have acquired valuable vocational skills in garages, workshops, construction sites, farms, salons and other workplaces.

Many have become competent mechanics, builders, welders, carpenters, electricians, tailors and technicians without ever sitting in a formal classroom.

Yet, despite their ability to do the work, many have been denied better employment opportunities because they lack certificates.

The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) provisions under the TVET Act, 2025, offer an important response to this long-standing challenge. The reforms create a pathway for workers to have skills gained through practical experience assessed and formally certified.

This is more than an administrative change. It recognizes that education and skills development do not happen only in schools and training institutions. People also learn by doing, observing, practising, and working under experienced artisans.

For too long, Uganda’s informal sector has trained thousands of young people, but the skills gained there have remained largely invisible to the formal labour market.

A mechanic may be able to diagnose and repair complex vehicle problems, while a builder may have years of experience constructing houses, but without a certificate, their abilities are often questioned or undervalued. The RPL system has the potential to change this situation.

Under the new framework, workers can have their competencies assessed against established occupational standards. Those who meet the required benchmarks can receive nationally recognised certificates aligned with the TVET qualifications framework.

The Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) is mandated to assess and certify practical competencies in general vocational trades.

The assessment will focus on what candidates can actually do, rather than relying only on written examinations or classroom knowledge.

This approach is both fair and practical. A person who has spent years mastering a trade should not be forced to start from zero simply because their education took place outside a formal institution.

Instead, the system should identify what they already know, assess it objectively, and provide training only where gaps exist.

Applicants seeking certification must register through licensed and accredited UVTAB assessment centres, such as vocational institutes, polytechnics and other approved training providers.

They may be required to present identification and evidence of their experience, including recommendation letters or examples of previous work.

If implemented properly, RPL could improve workers’ access to formal employment, contracts, further training and better wages. It could also help employers identify competent workers and strengthen Uganda’s skilled labor force.

Certification may further allow workers to progress to higher levels within the national qualification’s framework, improving their competitiveness both locally and internationally.

The reform also carries an important message about dignity. Skilled workers should not be treated as unqualified simply because of the knowledge acquired outside a classroom. Their experience, effort, and contribution to the economy deserve recognition.

The TVET Act, 2025, therefore presents an opportunity to correct an old imbalance in Uganda’s education and employment systems. It can help turn years of practical experience into recognized qualifications.

Uganda should embrace the RPL system as a way of valuing all forms of learning. A certificate should confirm competence, not erase the value of experience.

For thousands of Ugandans, years of work may now become more than a means of survival. With fair assessment and proper certification, that experience can become a pathway to better jobs, career progression and a more secure future.

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Nanteza Sarah Kyobe works with Uganda Media Centre

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