A total of 459 students (268 female and 191 male) are set to graduate with diplomas and certificates from the Jinja-based Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI) on November 8, up from 306 who graduated last year.
Of these, 268 are students on normal programmes, while 191 are apprentices sponsored by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in partnership with the Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA), Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
The Institute Principal, Richard Kawere, called upon the government to increase access to hospitality education by increasing funding for the institute.
“The cost of training a hospitality professional is quite high and I call upon the government to increase access to hospitality education through increased funding to the institute,” Kawere said on Monday.
He also decried the limited number of males enrolling for hospitality education yet available information shows that males earn more than females in the industry.
The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Col (Rtd) Tom Butime, who released the results at the ministry headquarters on October 24, called upon the successful candidates to go out and defend their profession by demonstrating the highest level of skill in the hospitality industry.
He further commended UHTTI for spearheading the growth of the tourism sector through churning out skilled manpower for the sector.
“For the sector to grow as projected in the 10-fold strategy from $1.6 billion to $50 billion revenue contribution, it requires a well-trained manpower and UHTTI is progressively answering the question of manpower,” Butime said.
Mr Geoffrey Sseremba, the ministry undersecretary, who represented Permanent Secretary Doreen Katusiime, pledged the ministry’s commitment to supporting UHTTI in the training of the hospitality workforce.
“UHTTI is one of the ministry agencies that we are proud of. We urge you not to relax but rather continue soaring greater heights,” Sseremba said.
The UHTTI is a lone government hospitality school charged with training the labour force for the hospitality sector. The 35-year old institute started as an ILO project at Fairway Hotel in Kampala and was later relocated to Jinja at the Crested Crane hotel.
The institute currently offers diplomas and certificates in Hotel Management, Tourism Management, Pastry and Bakery Management, among others.
