Carpentry: A Rewarding Job Most Youth Despise
Long ago people used to practice carpentry for their leisure time -to kill boredom while others looked at it as wastage of time.
By 22/01/2013 07:10:00
A carpenter in Kampala
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But today men, most especially youths, do attend Carpentry classes and after gaining experience they join the industry.
This is believed to have reduced on the levels of unemployment in Uganda.
I have visited Carpenters in a workshop located in Nateete opposite the former Central College Building.
These were four men busy working upon customers’ orders, one was busy making a cupboard, the other was working on a bed for kids and the rest were vanishing the finished beds.
These men are always busy day in day out and there is no time for rest due to the orders that come in all the time.
They deal in making wooden doors, office chairs, beds, sofa sets, cupboards and tables.
Bob Kalema the owner of this workshop says he started with only two boys who were still Carpentry students from Kyambogo University but later he managed to recruit the third as the workshop expanded due to increase in orders for furniture.
This workshop is always busy to an extent that at times he is forced to hire some two boys that help him sanding, priming and painting to beat a deadline set by customers.
Kalema buys timber from different selling points such as UNIDA in Ndeeba, Nateete near the Centenary Bank and in Nalukolongo.
Then he transports them using a bicycle to the workshop before paying Shs2, 000 for that.
He says the price for timber ranges from Shs13, 000 to Shs50, 000. He has to wait for two to three weeks to dry before using it.
In making a cupboard Kalema incurs Shs130, 000 for materials and Shs80, 000 for labour. Finally he sells it at Shs450, 000, making a profit of Shs240, 000.
This implies that if Kalema manages to sell 10 cupboards in a month, he would be assured of Shs2.4m profit, which translates into Shs24m in a year.
For a bed (5-6) Kalema injects in Shs120, 000 for materials and Shs70, 000 for labour after which he sells it at Shs300, 000 thus registering a Shs110, 000 profit on every bed.
Yet, most youth prefer taking on blue-collar jobs in corporate organizations where they earn less than Shs500, 000 per month.
Personal development
Kalema’s sweat has not been in vain.
Some of his achievements include a huge improvement in his family’s standards of living, paying school fees to his five children in ‘good schools’ and modest investments in real estate.
He adds that he managed to buy a plot of land in Namasuba along Entebbe Road from his furniture workshop.
Some of the challenges he faces at work include enduring insults from impatient customers.
“They usually quarrel when their orders delay yet timber has to fast get dry before I start work,” says Kalema.
“Some customers make orders and they fail to pay in most cases that become hard for these carpenters,” he adds.
Kalema’s story is evidence that if government drew a strategy of investments in vocational training and offered small scale loans to students after graduation, it would not only trim the level of unemployment in the country but also boost tax revenues.
BENEFITS
Such investments uplift the standards of living of youths, raise household income, break dependence cycle, lower crime rates especially in urban areas and eventually lead to economic growth.
During the 20th graduation ceremony for the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) Vocational Training Institute in Kampala in December last year, Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi announced that Government had earmarked Shs433bn for capitation grants and bursaries to support students attending formal business, technical and vocational training courses under the “Skilling Uganda” programme this financial year.
The Principal, Rosemary Nakunda Bigirwa announced that the institute had started evening and weekend programmes to cater for the working class of students. She said the courses would empower them to create their own jobs.
“We started the skilling programme in 1960 and we are now proud to be part of the government in implementing it,” she said.
At least 768 students who graduated with certificates and diplomas in various vocational courses at the institution would not want to stay on the streets.
Mbabazi said the need for vocational education was at a high demand.
YWCA is implementing a government-funded pilot non-formal skilling programme in Kampala and Kiruhura district.
According to Dee Boston, a researcher on carpentry, another important advantage of the career is an ever changing work situation.
Most carpenters are constantly on the go, moving from one outside project to another.
So for those who dislike desk work or an inside office setting, carpentry provides an attractive alternative. A carpenter need not worry about boredom from day to day.
Each project generally presents many unique challenges while keeping the work interesting. Along the same lines, a carpenter also has the chance of getting to know and deal with quite a number of different people along the way.
The wide range of work carpenters can enjoy spans from major projects including building bridges, commercial buildings and residential structures to specializing in building cabinets, chairs and other similar smaller jobs.
Self Employment
Moreover, there is the attractive option of self employment-being your own boss. And it doesn't usually require a lot for one to start a carpentry business.
A skilled tradesman can start as a freelance carpenter for hire with smart marketing and after making the right connections.
With the demand that carpentry often attracts, one does not have to wait long to get projects. By initially starting with small projects, those may eventually will lead to bigger and more enriching ones.
Capacity building
According to Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, the Vice Chancellor of Uganda Technology and Management University (UTAMU), the campus designed a programme targeting local skilled people to acquire a Certificate in Engineering Technology and Practice.
The campus would begin with mechanics, technicians, artisans, carpenters and all folks involved in mechanical engineering in places like Katwe and vehicle mechanics working in workshops across the country.
“There are people who are technicians but have no qualifications yet their skills are needed in the Ugandan industry,” said Baryamureeba.
He also said some courses will be taught in local languages like Luganda, Luo and Runyakitala specifically to the holders of a Certificate in Engineering Technology and Practice.
“Most countries train people in their local languages and so we want to give Ugandans the opportunity to study in the languages they are familiar with.”
Baryamureeba said as part of the training strategy, they will partner with existing workshop owners to strengthen their workshops, offer them training as trainers of trainees and work with them to impart skills on the prospective students.
Baryamureeba said as part of the training strategy, they would partner with existing workshop owners to strengthen their workshops, offer them training as trainers of trainees and work with them to impart skills on the prospective students.
