Vocational Program (October 2005 - July 2006) & (January 2007 - December 2007)
Carpentry Workshop-Status as of September, 2007
This program is a follow up of the very successful Welding Workshop Program that we had in 2006 (see below).
For both training programs, the local University, Universidad del Valle, with whom we partnered for some aspects of the training, provided certificates to the trainees at the completion of the workshops. The certificate from the University is a plus in any of these young people's resumes. The following pictures are from the graduation day of the first 2007 group where the certificates were provided.
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The start of this program was delayed due to some difficulties with the location where we would conduct the workshop. In particular it was very important to ensure the safety and easy access to the participants. The target community for this program is an area where many young people belong to gangs and violent encounters are not unusual. Therefore, it was essential to find a location where the young people interested in the program could participate without being engaged by rival gangs and risking their safety. After a long search and evaluation, a location was selected and the construction and adaptation of the facilities for the workshop was done.
The curriculum of this workshop consists of two segments: technical and personal development. For the technical part of the program the participants will learn about three different carpentry areas: frames and furniture, construction and art craft. For the personal development the participants will learn work ethic, team work, personal presentation, job interviews, etc. In addition, there will be an emphasis on their responsibilities with the community. Some of the designed activities will be working in the community. All of the programs will be conducted by highly-qualified professionals. In addition, at the conclusion of the program the participants will receive a certification co-sponsored by the local university, Universidad del Valle. This certification will facilitate the recruitment of the young people by commercial enterprises. As a special note, the tables that will be used for this training were made by the students of the Welding Workshop.
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The adaptation of the physical space required a special structure to ensure protection of the equipment from the weather elements, the safety of the participants, electric supply, floor painting with guides and illumination.
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The recruiting of the participants was conducted with great care in assessing the profiles and expectations of the potential participants and involvement of the local schools, young leaders and community leaders. The evaluation was done by an occupational professional and a physiologist.
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The program started June 4 with 41 young people. There are two shifts one in the morning and one in the afternoon. There are 10 women and 31 men. Most of the participants are unemployed and few have handicaps. The latter have been taken into consideration to make sure that the affected participants can fully participate in the program. The group is very motivated. As a side note, there are two assistants that had graduated from the Welding program. This is very stimulating for the new participants since they can see that indeed there are opportunities after the program.
As part of this project, one of the activities is planting trees in a neighbouring school. This activity has several goals. One is for the “new carpenters” to appreciate and respect the environment where the prime material for carpentry comes from, and two, as mentioned before, to involve them in giving back to the community. Specifically, they will be helping in reducing the erosion of this very poor school and therefore, plant a seed of community responsibility in these young people. See Communication project.
Welding Workshop-Status as of July, 2006
In total there were 120 registered students. Out of those, 95 completed the training. This is a very high number for this type of population. The training was divided in two groups, the first group of 60 finished the training in April 2006 and the second group finished in early July. The experience was very positive for all involved.
| The participants developed not only technical skills but social and work behavior skills. For their final project they worked in teams. This was a new experience for most of them. The team work and the challenge of a final project stimulated their enthusiasm and learning desire. These are pictures of some of the teams with their final project using their new acquired skills in welding and electricity. |
Working in team ..... it feels good |
A transporter of sorts... |
A model of a very comfortable table |
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As part of their practice, they built the tables for a construction training that JERA was going to conduct with another group of young people. Their work at use. Excellent quality. |
Seven of the participants already have a job, one is starting a welding business and several are applying to continue their education in welding with el SENA a government technical training institution. In July 15 there was the graduation of the participants. The pride that these young people demonstrated at the graduation gave a very good indication of the success of the program. They brought their families; friends, they wore their best clothes. See the pictures below.
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A great deal of pride and excitement |
Yes, they were very happy and ready to use their new skills. |
With the graduation of the 95 participants that completed the program, this project concludes. We expect to do similar programs given the great success of this one. Several local organizations are very interested in using the model used for this training. That is, the combination of technical with personal development programs as well as the involvement of local enterprises. This progam was designed based on the needs expressed by several local enterprises of qualified personnel.
Status as of February, 2006
It was difficult to find a location for the technical training, but finally a local school agreed to provide two class rooms. On February 3 rd , every thing was ready, including brand new equipment and furniture. That evening, there was the welcome session for the first 60 trainees. The participants were shy and not sure what to expect. They warmed up after the welcome and presentations by the instructors. The increasing excitement and expectations were very obvious in their faces, smiles and questions. The instructors are excellent. There are several technical instructors- some from local enterprises and some from technical schools. There are also the non-technical instructors who will teach work ethics and business, including what would they need if they would like to open their own business. The participants couldn't wait until Monday to start their training. They kept smiling and talking among themselves, amazed at what was coming and the doors that we were opening for them. See pictures below.
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Furniture and equipment |
ready to be used........ |
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Instructors and JERA team |
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Welcoming session ... still shy |
…… but very attentive |
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the smiles start coming…… |
of course, there are young women |
Status as of January, 2006
Equipment and tools . All of the physical elements that will be required for the workshops have been acquired. These include working furniture such as workbenches, tables, cabinets and stools; heavy machinery needed in welding and carpentry; manual tools ; technical design kits ; and consumable material.
Selection of candidates for the workshops. There will be a total of 120 participants in the program. These will be distributed in two phases. The selection of the 60 participants for the first phase of the Program is in progress. The selection is being done based on skill and psychological tests. Unfortunately, the holiday season slowed some what the progress of the selection but we expect to finish by the first week of February and then start the first workshop immediately after. The 38 participants that have been interviewed and accepted have a mixed background. Some have only done few years of primary school, some have done few years after primary school, none has any professional training, all are currently unemployed. There is a good mix of men and women. There is in all of them a great deal of enthusiasm and hope with the training and the work possibilities they expect to have after completion of the workshop.
Curriculum design. The detailed design of the curriculum is completed. The curriculum consists of two training areas: technical and personal development. The workshops include six hours per day of training for six weeks and two weeks of three hours per day of work practice. There will be two simultaneous groups of 30 participants that will alternate the personal and technical training.
Site where the workshops would be conducted. The plan was to start the modifications to the building to satisfy the technical requirements for the Programme and finish them in January. Unfortunately, there have been some delays in the construction due to delays in obtaining the permits for the work because of the holiday season. However we expect that the work can start soon and finish by the middle of February.