Uganda Pentecostal University (UPU) has today officially launched a two-day Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) workshop at its Mucwa Main Campus in Fort Portal City, bringing together university administrators, lecturers, and facilitators to strengthen the institution’s capacity to implement competency-based teaching and learning.

The workshop, held under the theme “Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET),” is aimed at equipping academic staff with the knowledge and practical skills needed to successfully transition to the Competency-Based Education and Training model.

Speaking during the opening ceremony on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Pelucy Ntambirweki, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr. Joshua Mugenyi, called upon all lecturers to embrace the CBET approach as a transformative model for higher education.

“Competency-Based Education and Training is intended to produce graduates who are competent, innovative, and capable of solving real-world problems in their respective professions. I therefore encourage all our lecturers to fully embrace this approach because its success depends on your commitment and active participation,” Dr. Mugenyi said.

He explained that the University’s decision to adopt CBET is driven by the need to improve the relevance and quality of higher education, promote entrepreneurship and self-employment, respond to the changing demands of the labour market, and address the growing challenge of graduate unemployment and skills mismatch.

“Higher education must respond to the realities of today’s labour market. Through CBET, we are preparing graduates with practical knowledge, relevant skills, and the right attitudes to succeed in employment and create opportunities for themselves,” he added.

In his communication, the Deputy Academic Registrar, Mr. Hosea Atuhaire, highlighted the University’s key priorities in implementing the Competency-Based Education and Training framework.

“Our goal is to build institutional capacity to transform teaching, learning, and curricula into the Competency-Based Education and Training format. We are also committed to strengthening the alignment between our academic programmes, labour market needs, and societal expectations while improving learner-centred pedagogy, assessment, student support services, and quality assurance systems,” Mr. Atuhaire said.

He noted that successful implementation of CBET requires collaboration, continuous professional development for academic staff, and institutional commitment to quality teaching and learning.

The workshop has attracted participation from university administrators, lecturers, and facilitators from UPU Mucwa Main Campus in Fort Portal City.

The facilitation team includes Dr. Martin Mulei, Dean of the Faculty of Education; Dr. Kintu Mugenyi, Director of Quality Assurance; Ms. Janice Giramia from the Faculty of Social Sciences; Ms. Florence Akello from the Faculty of Business; and Mr. Stanislaus Niwakola, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education.

The two-day workshop is expected to enhance the University’s institutional capacity to implement Competency-Based Education and Training effectively across all academic programmes. It also reaffirms Uganda Pentecostal University’s commitment to delivering quality, learner-centred education that produces graduates equipped with the competencies, innovation, and problem-solving skills needed to meet national development priorities and the demands of an evolving global workforce.

The workshop will conclude tomorrow with practical sessions on curriculum transformation, competency-based assessment, and strategies for integrating CBET principles into teaching and learning across the University’s faculties.