An association that will see graduates from Tumba College of Technology (TCT) come together to create jobs for themselves was launched on Saturday.
An association that will see graduates from Tumba College of Technology (TCT) come together to create jobs for themselves was launched on Saturday.During the event that took place in Kigali, some of the students who have managed to start their ICT businesses testified that they are benefiting from their skills."It is good if someone is employed, but we seat back or continue seeking for employment even where there is none yet we can use our skills to earn a living,” said Marcel Mutsindashyaka, the CEO of Umuseko, an IT company.Mutsindashyaka is a former student of TCT who first joined the labour market as an employee of a local IT firm, before starting his own. The entrepreneur has been joined by other graduates and through the association; many more are set to join."I started this firm with the aim of employing myself, but at a certain point, I realised that I cannot work alone and the company now employs seven graduates,” he said.Dubbed "ALUMNI” association, the body will also act as a platform through which graduates will share challenges in the labour market as well as getting information on strategies of getting empowered to implement future plans and achieve their ambitions.Some of the students who spoke to The New Times said start-up capital remains the main challenge as financial institutions are not ready to support them without collateral.Eng. Pascal Gatabazi, the principal of TCT said the association will also contribute to the success of the school’s mechanism of checking on the performance of its graduates."Like any other school, our efforts are only considered fruitful when graduates are competitive on the job market through putting in practice the skills acquired to make a difference in their lives as well as contributing to technological advancement,” he said. He called on the graduates to coordinate and make their association beneficial, saying it will help them better understand the job market.