JINJA – The Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI) on February 12th – 14th organized the first-ever National Hospitality Skills Competition in the country. The competition attracted nine hospitality training institutions across the country that met at the pedestal of hospitality training to showcase skills in Cookery, Bakery, Restaurant Service and Floristry.

With the competition turned into an annual event, World Skill Uganda (WSU) that played a pivotal role in providing the necessary expertise for the first edition of the competition, is out to share ideas on how best to scale up the competition ahead of the second edition scheduled for September, 2025.

“We need to start looking at the competition as a business and not just as a platform for showcasing skills,”  Dr Eddy Turyatemba, an assistant commissioner at the Ministry of Education and Sports, said.

He urged management to engage as many partners as possible and ensure that each partner is there for a particular skill and not all.

“You need to identify the industries that can be partners and think of how they benefit. That will compel them to be on board,” DrTuryatemba said.

In a related development, Ham Lukurwe, the National Technical advisor at Enabel, a Belgian Development Agency, said the competition doesn’t only shape the future of the competitors but also helps improve the relationship between the institute and the government.

The Principal of the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute (UHTTI), Richard Kawere, commended WSU and all staff that participated in the competition.

“We will continue partnering with WSU to ensure the success of the competitions and it is the reason for this engagement,” Kawere said.

He said there will be more publicity going forward to attract more sponsors for the coming competition.

UHTTI being the mother and core of hospitality training in the country has always graced the world stage and participated in World Skills Competition.

Among the competitions the institute has participated in include the 2023 World Skills Competition in Belgium where UHTTI’s Joel Makongo won a bronze medal for the country and the 2022 World Skills Competition in Namibia where HussamaMugerwascooped bronze in the restaurant category.