The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has signed a new partnership with Nakawa Vocational Training College (NVTC) to equip Ugandan youth with practical technical skills and create pathways to employment within the country’s growing oil and gas sector.
The collaboration, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed at the college in Kampala, is designed to boost local participation in energy related industries through hands on training in electrical systems, instrumentation, industrial automation and project management.
Under the agreement, EACOP’s engineering contractor, Schneider Electric Uganda, will support the college with modern training equipment, mentorship and industry specific modules to align student competencies with real world project standards.
Natasha Kassami, EACOP’s National Content Capacity Building Lead, said the initiative reflects the company’s long-term vision of strengthening national capacity and ensuring that Uganda’s youth directly benefit from oil and infrastructure projects.
“Our focus is not just building the pipeline but also building people. By working with Nakawa Vocational College, we are investing in the next generation of technicians and engineers who will sustain Uganda’s energy future,” Kassami noted.
The partnership will also expose top-performing trainees to internships and potential employment opportunities on EACOP related projects. It aims to bridge the gap between classroom training and industrial practice, a gap that has long hindered graduates from securing jobs in technical fields.
Patrick Asiimwe, the Dean of Training at NVTC, described the collaboration as timely and transformative, saying it will enhance both the curriculum and job readiness of students.
“We have the talent,what has been missing is structured industry linkage. This partnership brings that missing link by connecting our learners directly to industry demands,” Asiimwe said.
Schneider Electric Uganda will play a central role in implementing the partnership by providing advanced learning tools and continuous training for lecturers. The company’s Managing Director reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Uganda’s transition to a skilled, employable workforce in the energy and industrial sectors.
The partnership comes at a time when Uganda’s oil sector is rapidly advancing toward production, with thousands of new jobs expected along the EACOP route. Government officials have consistently emphasized the importance of local content development, urging companies to invest in vocational education as a foundation for sustainable employment.