Youth unemployment remains a serious challenge in Uganda. Causes of youth unemployment are believed to be multifaceted ranging from inadequate supply of jobs to insufficient employable skills.

JIACOFE places greater emphasis on promoting alternative employment initiatives and skills development for out of school youth which can enable them earn an income and fend for themselves. Through guidance and counseling sessions on career choices related to non-exploitative work, youth select their trades based on local market demands. They are supported to undergo vocational/technical education, life skills training, financial literacy, and entrepreneurial training needed to be competitive in their local job markets. This is implemented through institutional and artisan models of enrolling them in government vocational institutes or linking them to established and experienced community artisans for apprenticeship training. In addition, JIACOFE supports trained youth with startup tools to start their own workshops for income generation. The goal is to provide young people, girls and boys with the means to become skilled, employable, civically engaged partners who are able to access services, form positive relationship, maintain healthy behaviors and actively participate in their communities and society.