Association Between the Structure of TVET Programs and the Likelihood of Employment Among TVET Graduates in Central Uganda

Abstract

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is promoted as a pathway into employment, yet the connection between programme structure and actual job outcomes remains uneven. This study examined the association between selected structural features of TVET programmes and the likelihood of employment among graduates in central Uganda. A cross-sectional survey of 365 graduates from Nakawa Vocational Technical College, Lugogo Vocational Technical Institute and Ntinda Vocational Technical Institute (2019–2024) was conducted using a structured questionnaire. The structure of TVET training was measured by whether field jobs matched the training graduates received, the adequacy of job tasks available, where and how the first jobs and activities were obtained, whether they attended industrial training, the primary source of funding, the mode of training, whether full or partial, qualifications obtained, and the field of study. On the other hand, employment likelihood was measured by whether or not a TVET graduate was engaged in an active role that generated some level of income. Data were analysed with chi-square tests of association. The sample was predominantly young (peak age around 22, with most participants aged 18–30), male (68 %), single (80 %), and O-level leavers (64 %). Public institutions dominated, with Nakawa contributing the largest share (34 %). Employment was significantly associated with field–job match (χ^2=125.30, p<.001), adequacy of job tasks (χ^2=92.74, p<.001), pathway into work (χ^2=262.69, p<.001), funding source (χ^2=20.66, p=.001), field of study (χ^2=26.03, p=.001) and institution attended (χ^2=45.86, p<.001). Graduates whose training matched job requirements, who entered work through industrial training or personal networks, who studied high-demand trades (electrical installation, plumbing, hairdressing), and who attended stronger-performing institutions recorded markedly higher employment rates. Mode of training and type of qualification showed no significant link with employment (0.56 (2), p-value = .755; 2.86 (4), p-value = .581). Wages also varied by employment type: those in formal wage employment earned the highest mean income (approximately UGX 800,000), followed by the self-employed (below UGX 600,000), while casual workers and the unemployed reported substantially lower earnings. These results confirm a clear association between the structure of TVET programmes and the likelihood of employment among graduates. Programmes that align training content closely with labour-market