Abyariman Emmanuel stared at his Workers' PAS certificate and saw possibility where companies had seen only doubt. A skilled welder in Uganda's Nakivale refugee settlement, Emmanuel had spent years mastering his craft through apprenticeship and lived experience—yet without formal credentials, potential employers dismissed him outright. That piece of paper changed everything.
Across Uganda's refugee settlements, thousands of skilled workers face an invisible barrier: their competencies, honed through informal apprenticeships and years of hands-on work, go unrecognized by formal employers and institutions. The gap between genuine expertise and official documentation has trapped talented people in low-income livelihoods, blocking access to decent work and preventing small businesses from scaling. It's a loss not just for individuals, but for entire communities hungry for economic growth.
The ILO's Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) initiative, supported under the PROSPECTS programme funded by the Government of the Netherlands and delivered in partnership with the Federation of Uganda Employers and Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board, addresses this gap head-on. The programme assesses informal workers' skills and awards nationally recognized Workers' Practically Acquired Skills certificates—formal proof that opens doors to employment and enterprise expansion.
For Emmanuel, the shift was immediate and measurable. After obtaining his certificate, he landed his first major contract with a non-governmental organization operating in the settlement, tasked with fabricating doors and windows. "When they asked me what proved I could do the work, I showed them my Workers' PAS certificate. They recognized it and gave me the contract," he recalled. That three-week assignment earned him UGX 2 million (approximately US$530)—income he immediately reinvested in his workshop by purchasing materials and equipment. Today, Emmanuel employs four welders on a contract basis and is planning to expand to Mbarara and Isingiro districts.
Ismail Katambwe's trajectory mirrors Emmanuel's. Before certification in 2024, organizations regularly asked him for evidence of qualifications he couldn't provide. After receiving his Workers' PAS certificate, Ismail secured contracts from multiple organizations, including the Office of the Prime Minister and UNHCR. His monthly income surged from UGX 200,000–300,000 to between UGX 1 million and 2 million (approximately US$270–530). That growth enabled him to open a second workshop in Rubondo zone, where he now employs ten refugees.
The programme's reach extends far beyond welding. Kikuni Lukewa, a Congolese electrical technician, leveraged his 2023 certification to secure contracts installing digital television systems for Azam TV and providing electrical installations for Tumaini, a refugee-led organization. Each story reflects the same truth: formal skills recognition acts as a bridge between informal livelihoods and genuine economic participation.
Evans Lwanga, Chief Technical Advisor for ILO PROSPECTS Uganda, frames the deeper significance: "In Uganda, a large share of workers acquire skills through apprenticeships, on-the-job experience and self-employment, but the lack of formal certification remains a significant barrier to labour market access." The RPL programme dismantles that barrier, transforming invisible competence into visible credentials. For refugees and host community members alike, it's the difference between surviving and thriving.