Staff of the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI) have been trained in Pedagogy and Andragogy thanks to a partnership with Kyambogo University.
The Enabel sponsored training aimed at sharpening the training skills of the staff and equipping them with new training models to align with the Technical and Vocational Education Training(TVET) demands.
The lead trainer, Dr Eric Kalanda, a renowned don from Kyambogo’s Faculty of Education, said it is UHTTI that is supposed to re-direct and shape the training of hospitality professionals in the country.
“It is UHTTI and not UVTAB that is a custodian of hospitality training in the country and pedagogical skills are vital to help you deliver on this mandate,” Dr Kalanda said.
Dr Kalanda’s remarks were echoed by Robert Ssewakka, another Kyambogo University don from the department of Vocational Education, who humorously delivered a presentation on TVET training pathways and assessment.
Mr Ssewakka took the staff through the technicalities of TVET and what it takes to be a certified trainer, in accordance with the new TVET law.
“As a trainer you ought to be registered and in case you are not, then you do not qualify to train learners,” he said, while arguing staff with the requisite qualifications to register as TVET trainers.
The Deputy Principal of the institute, Moses Kaneene, lauded Kyambogo University’s partnership with UHTTI, saying the partnership has helped the institute grow its mandate in the fields of research and staff development.
“We currently have about ten staff pursuing Masters and PhDs at Kyambogo University thanks to the partnership we have,” MrKaneene said.
The three-day training comes at a time when the institute is transiting from the Ministry of Tourism to the Education ministry as per the TVET Act signed in March this year.
The new Act also changed the institute’s name from the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute to the Hotel and Tourism Training College (HTTC) and plans are underway to launch the new name.
