In one of the WhatsApp groups of the ICT Teachers Association of Uganda,a colleague asked how possible it was for him to get his institution accredited with the Directorate of Industrial Training. For your info, he is not alone. There are hundreds of enterprising teachers of ICT who have started humbly with the vision that some day, their startups would turn into big and respected institutions providing vocational studies in their communities..
A computer training school is one of the business ideas I shared in my article about 10 business ideas for the teacher of ICT. When starting one, it is good to know that formalising it’s existence is not only necessary but also as easy as ABC – thanks to the Directorate of Industrial Training which is mandated with registering, guiding and in assessing your learners and providing them with formal certificates.
In this article, I wish to share with you from first hand experience how to get your institution accredited with the Directorate of Industrial Training.
1. Pick the application form
Go to the Directorate of Industrial Training in Lugogo and ask for Assessment and Certification office. If you enter via the entrance on Jinja Rd., it is your first turn on your left and move straight to the end of the corridor. There, ask for the secretary who will give you an APPLICATION FORM FOR ACCREDITATION OF AN ASSESSMENT CENTRE. This 7-page document will capture details about your institution.
2. Fill in the form
It is advisable that you fill in this form with guidance from the DIT staff. You need to have the following information handy before you fill ion this form. Below are the details you will need to come with;
- Name of your institution
- Phone contact and/or email
- Village, Parish, Sub County, County, District, nearest town or trading center
- Distance in kilometres from the trading center
- Proprietor or Director’s name, phone contact and/or email address
- Name and telephone contact/email address of the institutions head/principle
- The institution’s organisation chart
- Your school’s mission
- Courses offered
- Names and qualifications of each your staff
Note: You will need to travel with your stamp as you will be needed to stamp on the form before submission
3. Pay to the bank
The next step is paying a total of 350,000 UGX to the DIT account in Centenary Bank. For faster service, I recommend you go to the Centenary Bank Entebbe Rd. Branch near Nasser Rd in Kampala. On entering the bank, quickly fill in the cash deposit slip and go to the desk immediately on your right as you enter that bank.
This saves you the burden of queuing up which may take some time depending on the number of people waiting in line. At the desk I mentioned earlier, is an agent who will receive your slip and return your copy in less than 5 minutes. Don’t forget to get a receipt and a copy of the deposit slip from this agent.
4. Drop your receipts to the accounts section of DIT
Next step is taking the copies of your bank deposit slips to the accounts section of DIT. This is found at the DIT offices in Lugogo on the second floor. Once you reach the second floor, turn left and move straight to the end. Here, you will be given the official DIT receipt.
5. Go back to the Assessment & Certification office
Take the DIT receipt to the Assessment and Certification office and hand them in with your form. At this point, your job is done.
Officers from the directorate will later visit your institution to assess whether it is suitable for learners.
In my experience, the entire process from picking the form to submission should be done within a day. Depending on the tasks the team from DIT has, you will surely get visited and your accredited within a week.
Voila!
If all is in place, you will be given your accreditation certificate and center number.
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Stephen Dumba is the National Coordinator of the ICT Teachers’ Association of Uganda. Besides teaching ICT, he repairs computers and builds websites. Steve is a speaker and facilitator at tech events and and CEO of senior1.org and a consultant on education technology.
Tel: +256 772 111 223 | +256 752 111 223 | Email: stephen.dumba@gmail.com
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