SGAP: SkillCoop Graduate Apprentice Program
The SkillCoop Graduate Apprentice Program (SGAP) is an initiative of the Uhuru Institute for Social Development (TUI) through the SkillCoop Academy in partnership with the Coop360° Network, colleges and universities for cooperatives and graduate trainees in Uganda.
In 2017, TUI rolled out a successful inaugural volunteers program under the Coop360° Network, which benefited 26 cooperatives. The volunteers included an interdisciplinary team of young adults selected by the cooperatives from a pool of applicants subjected to assessments and selected on merit by TUI. During their one year in the program, they attended various skills development activities by TUI to enable them to support the operations of the cooperatives and coordinate the partnership between TUI, the cooperatives, and others.
This initiative saw over 90% of the cooperatives retain the volunteers because of the value they added to them. The highlight of the inaugural program was when the volunteers led the Network cooperatives in the 2022 #NoExcuses Youth Legacy Awards, during which 3 cooperatives won financial and non-financial prizes.
Building on the successes of the inaugural volunteer program, the SkillCoop Academy is launching its Graduate Apprentice Program as a core component of its skills development effort for cooperatives and young graduates. The aim of the program is to professionalise cooperative human capital to create decent, meaningful and sustainable jobs that spur cooperative competitiveness and resilience. SGAP’s aspirations align with the Government of Uganda’s priority interventions stipulated in Vision 2040 and its various development blueprints.
Apprentice Annual Calendar: The revamped program starts in January 2025 and will run on an annual basis with each cohort running 6 months.
Apprentice Based Coaching: During the engagement period, the apprentices will receive monthly coaching from SkillCoop’s Technical Support Associates in areas that will be identified by the partner/participating cooperative as critical to their delivery.
Reporting Lines: The apprentice will report to a supervisor appointed by the cooperative on their day-to-day assignments and is expected to write a report of not more than 3 pages to the cooperative and the Uhuru Institute on how trans-formative the apprentice program has been.
Facilitation: TUI will facilitate the apprentice with a stipend of UGX 200,000 per month as a subsistence pay. The apprentice is not entitled to a salary but, the cooperative will be expected to provide them with the necessary materials to deliver their assignments.
Eligibility: The program is tailored for the fully paid-up members of the Coop360° Network and graduate youth who live in the locations of the cooperatives. Host cooperatives are responsible for the integration of the apprentice into the community. A graduate apprentice is considered a male or female of 18-25 years who graduated from an institution, college or university in the last two years with a certificate, diploma or degree.
Download the documents below for more information. Kindly complete the entire Survey and Application forms, and submit to the Uhuru Institute for Social Development via email at uhuru@uhuruinstitute.org and skillcoop@uhuruinstitute.org.
