The high cost of education, coupled with the high rate of unemployment, is a major concern for developing countries, including Uganda. The economic growth of any developing nation heavily relies on its capacity to create sustainable job opportunities across various sectors. An education based on Science, Technology,Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) can serve as a powerful driving force to overcome barriers and achieve this crucial milestone. The traditional methods of teaching, learning and research in higher institutions of learning (HIL) in Uganda mainly emphasise theoretical knowledge rather than practical skills development. This leads to a wider gap in the skills required of graduates for job creation, industrialisation and stimulating economic growth. This study aims to investigate the key factors that should be considered for the effective integration of STEM education into Uganda’s higher education (HE) in relation to the needs of industry and community development. By adopting integrated STEM education,we envision that empowered graduates will become innovators and job creators. To gather comprehensive insights into the perception of integrated STEM education in HIL, qualitative data was collected from 42 respondents using an online semistructured questionnaire. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The study established that although some integrated STEM education exists in academia,industry and the community, its full integration is limited by the inadequacy of quality staff, funding and the rather weak collaboration and partnership between academia, industry and community. The study recommends that there is need to enhance the integration of STEM education into Uganda’s HIL by recruiting quality staff, increasing funding and strengthening collaboration and partnership between academia, industry and community. This will produce skilled graduates who are job creators and highly employable in industry, a requisite for sustainable economic growth in the 21st century.