73 - YEEs AS CATALYSTS: BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAP AMONG THE YOUNG AND EMERGING EVALUATORS (YEEs) IN UGANDA.

Abstract Information: Following the Global evaluation agenda 2016-2020 with discussions around evaluation capacities, it was noted that evaluation has not yet reached its full potential due to gaps in capacity. The national Voluntary Organizations for Professional Organizations (VOPEs) were to implement the Eval Agenda 2016-2020 whose core goal is to improve the evaluation capacities within their nations. The category of members considered under this were mainly the Young And Emerging Evaluators (YEEs), whose capacities needed to be improved so that a sufficient number of high-quality academia, staff, and institutions that generate and share relevant data exist, and are able to; promote and facilitate quality evaluations, evolve and develop continuously as the evaluation field advances, support evaluation research, and run professional courses in evaluation, all aiming at ensuring sufficient numbers of qualified evaluators. This led to the formation of YEEs-Uganda which was made a programme under the Uganda Evaluation Association (UEA) in 2017. The programme is guided by three core objectives; to strengthen UEA institutional capacity, professionalize YEEs in Uganda, form and strengthen YEEs Networks. Since then, YEE-Uganda set out to implement its work plan under the guidance of UEA in order to foster capacity strengthening and the professional development of the YEEs, M&E practitioners and persons interested in M&E. Under this program, M&E practitioners have been equipped with various M&E skills like training in SPSS, STATA, mobile data collection, GIS technology, various M&E tools, frameworks, mentorship programs, among bridging other skills requirements of the practitioners. This paper will therefore explore the mechanisms of managing, organizing, leading, monitoring and control, resource mobilization, challenges, lessons learnt and recommendations in facilitating professional pathways as well as bridging the skills gap among the YEEs in Uganda and addressing the evolving skills and roles needed for M&E practitioners in the dynamic M&E world. Key words: Management, Resource Mobilization, Professional Pathways, YEE-Uganda.