SGAP: SkillCoop Graduate Apprentice Program
The SkillCoop Graduate Apprentice Program (SGAP) is designed to provide real-world experiences, allowing graduate trainees to apply what they have learned in a practical setting and to embed their understanding of the concept in the practice and work of cooperatives
The SGAP is an initiative of the Uhuru Institute for Social Development (TUI) in partnership with the Skill Coop Academy, the Coop360° Network, the #NoExcuses Youth Entrepreneurship & Leadership Development Program, Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum, the private sector, academic institutions, and development partners, aimed at providing graduate trainees across Uganda with opportunities.
In 2017, TUI rolled out a successful inaugural volunteer program under the Coop360° Network, which benefited 26 youths and 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 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 retaining the volunteers due to the value they added. The highlight of the inaugural program was when the volunteers led the Network cooperatives in the 2022 #NoExcuses Youth Legacy Awards, during which three cooperatives won financial and non-financial prizes.
Building on the successes of the inaugural volunteer program, the Skill Coop Academy launched the Graduate Apprentice Program in September 2024 as a core component of its human capital development initiative for cooperatives and young graduates, with a total of three cooperatives participating in the first cohort. SGAP aims to professionalize cooperative human capital and create decent, meaningful, and sustainable jobs that spur cooperative competitiveness and resilience. SGAP’s aspirations align with the Government of Uganda’s priority interventions outlined in the National Apprenticeship Framework and Vision 2040, as well as its various development blueprints.
Apprentice Annual Calendar
The program runs two cohorts per year, each lasting 6 months.
Apprentice Based Coaching: During the apprenticeship period, apprentices receive an 8-week coaching period by experienced coaches from the SkillCoop Technical Support Associates (TSAs) in areas identified by the apprentice/cooperative as critical to their delivery.
Reporting Lines:
The apprentice reports to a supervisor appointed by the cooperative regarding their daily tasks and is expected to submit a monthly report, no more than three pages in length, to the cooperative and TUI on the impact of the apprentice program.
Facilitation: TUI facilitates the apprentice with a monthly stipend of UGX 200,000 (two hundred thousand shillings) to cover subsistence costs. The apprentice is not entitled to a salary, but the cooperative is expected to facilitate the smooth delivery of their assignments. Upon completion of the apprentice program, the cooperative may choose to retain the apprentice as a full-time employee at their own discretion.
Download the documents below for more information and submit your application to the Uhuru Institute for Social Development via email at skillcoop@uhuruinstitute.org
Call for Applications and SGAP Description – Wagagai SACCO Limited
Call for Applications and SGAP Description – Bushika Integrated Area Cooperative Enterprise Limited
Call for Applications and SGAP Description – Kapsukwar Maize Producers SACCO Limited