Flagship project
Building Futures: the Construction School.
A practical school for the building trades, giving vulnerable young people and marginalised communities in Uganda the skills to earn a living, and to pass them on.
Why a construction school
The work is there. The training often isn’t.
Unemployment, poverty and a lack of opportunities hit hardest where families have the least to fall back on. Young people want to work. What many lack is a fair route in.
Building doesn’t stop in Uganda. Houses keep going up on the edge of the capital, and towns along the border keep growing. Someone has to lay the bricks, join the pipes and wire the walls. A short, practical course that turns willing hands into trusted ones is one of the fastest ways we know to help a young person earn.
That is the idea behind this school, and why it is the project at the heart of our learning and skills work. You can read the thinking in our journal: A trade can do what a certificate sometimes can’t.
Four trades
What a young person can learn.
The school focuses on four building trades, each one in steady demand on almost every site.
-
Masonry
Laying blocks and bricks true and level, from the first course of a foundation to the last row under the roof.
-
Carpentry
Measuring, cutting and joining timber for doors, roofs, frames and furniture, work that is needed on every site.
-
Plumbing
Fitting and mending the pipes that bring clean water in and take waste away, safely and to last.
-
Electrical installation
Wiring buildings so that power is safe, tidy and reliable, with safety drilled in from day one.
From the ground up
You can’t build a good house on a bad foundation, and you can’t build a good life without a skill that’s yours.
Photo: A house going up, brick by brick
How we want it to work
Training that sticks.
-
Hands on first
People learn a trade with a tool in their hand. Classroom time supports the practice, not the other way round.
-
Safety as a habit
Hard hats, tidy sites and the right way to lift or wire are taught from the first morning, not as an afterthought.
-
Honest about the real world
Training should prepare young people for the actual job: measuring, pricing, working with a team and with a customer.
-
A path after training
A certificate in the drawer is not enough. We want trainees to leave with somewhere to go: an apprenticeship, a placement or the confidence to start small.
How you can help
Help us build the builders.
Money matters, but so do tools, placements and an experienced person’s time. Pick whichever fits.
-
Support the school
Help cover training costs, tools and materials so that a young person can take part.
Get in touch -
Give tools and materials
Trowels, saws, pipe, cable and safety gear all turn into skills. We welcome in-kind gifts.
Get in touch -
Offer a placement
If you run a workshop or building firm, a trained apprentice could be a real asset to you.
Get in touch -
Share your trade
Experienced builders, plumbers and electricians can help train and mentor the next generation.
Get in touch
Questions
Good questions, honest answers.
Who is the school for?
It is aimed at vulnerable young people and marginalised communities in Uganda who want a practical route into work. If you are a young person, or you know one, please write to us and we will tell you how things stand.
Is it open for enrolment right now?
Details change as the project grows, so the best way to find out is to ask us. Send a message from the contact page and we will reply with the latest.
My company works in construction. How can we help?
Placements, apprenticeships, donated materials and instructors’ time are all valuable. Tell us what you can offer and we will talk about how it could fit.
Can I give tools or materials instead of money?
Yes. Gifts in kind are one of the partnership types we welcome. Get in touch before you send anything so we can make sure it is what trainees need.
Be part of the building.
Tell us how you would like to help and we will take it from there.