About – Skilling Young Adults

Who we are

Rounding Up the Edges (ROUTE) International Ltd is a not-for-profit company registered in Kampala, Uganda to skill young adults in Africa, who make the majority of the population, with soft skills for Employability, Business and Life. Our Skilling Young Adults Program offers in-person and web-based training, support and mentoring.

ROUTE International was incorporated on the 21^st August 2013 with a certificate of incorporation number: 171325.

STATUS: Company Limited by Guarantee

BANKERS: Centenary Bank – Kampala

Why what we do matters

The social and economic development of Africa depends on how the continent empowers its young population to engage in key sectors such as the Service Sector, Manufacturing, ICT-based Services, Tourism, Transport, Mining, and Agriculture.

Young adults must be empowered to find work, retain jobs, start successful micro, small or medium sized businesses, surpass life’s dilemmas, and take advantage of available opportunities.

Efforts to empower them with professional and technical skills are underway. Universities, vocational institutions, and skilling programs are on the increase across the continent.

What is receiving less attention is the need to empower them with soft skills, interpersonal skills, self-management skills, business skills, attitude and mindset change skills, and the professionalism skills they need to become well-rounded employees, business people, and individuals.

Our Objectives

To equip young adults with the soft skills that prepare them for the job market, facilitate them in finding jobs, increase their productivity at work, enhance their career progression, and make them an invaluable resource at their places of work.
To equip young adults with the soft skills to prepare them for starting, managing, and successfully sustaining micro, small and medium sized businesses including those in the hospitality sector.
To equip young adults with soft skills for taking advantages of life`s opportunities, addressing and overcome the challenges and dilemmas of life, having more meaningful relationships, enhancing their abilities to better manage their lives and experience personal growth.
To support and mentor young adults in making and implementing informed and appropriate educational and occupational career choices so as to effectively transition from secondary school to further education, training or employment in order to achieve job satisfaction and fulfilment of their career aspirations.
To provide consultancy services in soft skills for employability, business and life.

Our Vision

To be the leading not-for-profit “One-stop shop” company empowering Young Adults in Africa with soft skills for Employability, Business and Life.

Our Mission

To provide Africa`s Young Adults with high quality, innovative and transformational training, guidance, support and mentoring in soft skills for Employability, Business and Life in order to enable them to contribution optimally to social and economic development by turning their acquired knowledge and skills, talents and life experiences into career progress, effective employment, lucrative business, and fulfilling lives based on proven principles.

Our Core Values

We are guided by three major beliefs; Soft skills contribute in a substantial way to long-term job, business, and life success. Individuals with higher levels of soft skills get jobs easier, learn better on the job, earn more and are in better health.

Soft skills for Employability, Business and Life are not hereditary, they can be learnt, they must be taught, and it is everyone`s responsibility to learn, teach and propagate them.

We;

Are committed to experiential and learner – centred methods of soft Skills Building
Are action-focused and need-responsive in solving problems and guaranteeing success
Put service before self and work until the job is done
Encourage early acquisition of skills to yield the greatest impact
Commit to respectful and non-discriminatory practices
Prioritise the underprivileged
Maintain confidentiality, professionalism, excellence and integrity
Learn from our shortcomings and apologize when expectations are not met

Our Target Group

Our skilling program is targeted at young adults desirous of turning their knowledge, professional/practical skills and talents into career progress, effective employment and lucrative businesses. It targets those who already have academic papers and professional/practical skills but are unemployed, or have jobs but feel stuck, stagnant, unproductive, under-utilised and underpaid. It also targets those who wish to learn Life Skills and tools necessary for dealing effectively with the demands, challenges and opportunities of everyday life in order to live happy and fulfilling lives based on proven principles.

Specifically, we target the following categories of people;

Students in universities and other Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL).
Early-age, low & mid-level workers in the corporate and business world
Members of common interest youth clubs e.g., Rotaractors, sports clubs
Members of Religious youth organizations – of all denominations
High school finalists and long vacationists
Clients of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working with youth
Members of Special needs groups (refugees, people with disabilities and single mothers/widows).
Young adults in the general population

No young adult is excluded from our program. ROUTE embraces young adults of all educational. Religious, political, and professional backgrounds

How We Market

ROUTE uses a multichannel marketing approach including social media, on-air marketing, email marketing, advertising, and word-of-mouth to reach its clients.

How We Deliver Our Skilling Program

Our skilling program is based on a modular curriculum approach offering learners and clients an opportunity to select and focus on modules with the skills they want to learn.

Each skill is provided through a stand-alone module and upon completion of a particular module, a learner gets a certificate of completion based on contact hours, not grades or marks. The emphasis of the training is on acquisition and practice of skills.

ROUTE uses three approaches to deliver its training:

In-person physical training for individuals and groups: This approach is currently reserved for individuals and groups in Uganda who insist on it and only when compliance to COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) can be guaranteed. There is a plan to implement a trainer-of-trainers so that this approach can be scaled up in the future.
Virtual training via Zoom: This approach has no geographical restriction which eliminates the risk of contracting COVID-19.
Self-paced e-Learning: This approach offers the most flexibility since youth can learn at their own time and at their own pace.

Our Impact

In 2019 & 2020 over 1000 learners took part in at least one of ROUTE`s trainings.

Who Pays

ROUTE operates a subscription business model. Clients pay a minimal training fee. Clients may be individual learners or a company/institution/organization paying a negotiated fee for a training or a package of trainings. For both individuals and companies, modules or a package of modules may be offered at a reduced fee. The fee for the certificate may be a part of or separate from the training fee.

An Equity Fund, guarantees the participation of those who are severely financially disadvantaged with a special focus on women and those living with disabilities.

View Our Skilling Program