PowerPointPrsentation

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  St. Joseph's Vocational Training Centre,
Khartoum   An example of a successful project
approach  
The Salesians of Don Bosco have been running a
vocational training centre in Khartoum, the
capital city of Sudan, providing vocational
training in 7 trades and for a total of about 700
trainees. Its name is St. Joseph's Vocational
Training Centre. MISEREOR, the German Catholic
Bishops' Organisation for Development
Cooperation, has supported this training centre
for many years and in a variety of ways. Thus my
own assignment to the centre in 1996 - 1999 as a
development worker to assist especially the
centre's metal work department was funded by
MISEREOR. We, the trainers and trainees,
systematically implemented a certain project
approach or Project Method, as we called it,
during that period of time in order to organise
and appropriately develop the metal work
department of the training centre. The aim was to
improve the training, integrate production into
training activities, and prepare trainees for a
small income-generating project.     (Please
press any button...)
Presented by Peter Kömmelt Mechanical
Engineer Vocational Trainer Consultant
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There is a variety of possible means to support
the activities of the people. However, in our
view the target groups should choose the means by
themselves. If one fails, there will then be
others to support the process. Trainees do not
depend on the teacher, development worker, etc.
This is of special importance for the
sustainability of development projects.
The target group fully plan their project. The
trainees make drawings of the proposed product,
put down lists of materials needed, plan the
successive working steps and the time frame,
purchase the materials and parts required, etc.
The people, i.e. the target group, themselves
initiate the small projects they wish to put into
practice. The ideas for projects often arise from
the daily needs of the people. For example, some
trainees asked to make beds for their families at
home.
The project is being implemented by the target
group. The trainees manufacture the planned
items.
The target group evaluate and document the
results of their projects. The trainees are not
given any marks or grades but have to sell the
products to customers. Deficiencies in product
quality are thus quickly revealed. The design of
the product may have to be improved. So there is
no need for any marks or grades.
Aims
The people who implement their own small-scale
projects are at the centre of attention. All
efforts undertaken are designed to support them
in their various activities.
Initiative
Individual projects in the framework of
vocational training should be selected according
to the following criteria 1. Improvement of
relevant technical and vocational skills 2.
Improvement of financial self-sufficiency of the
training programme 3. All small-scale projects
should support social, ethical, ecological etc.
aims.
Planning
People Project/s
Procedure
Evaluation
The following pictures will show some typical
examples of projects within the vocational
training programme based on our Project Method.
Action
It is a 'must' in our Project Method that people
carry out the whole project cycle by themselves.
The initiative, the planning, implementation and
evaluation all have to be done by them. New ideas
are often derived from the results of the
previous projects. Each project carried out that
way will help the target groups to further
develop their self-help capacity.
Sup- port
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Training Projects
Solar Energy

• Helping People
• Financing the Training
• Transmiting skills

The aluminium moulding blocks to produce crutches
were an ideal project. The skills needed to make
them were of a high standard, an international
aid organisation paid for them and was able to
produce crutches at a price the poor in Sudan
were able to afford.
Not only solar cookers of various types were
produced by the trainees, but courses on how to
cook with them were conducted.
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The success of this method had been obvious 1.
94 of the trainees participated successfully
in the government final examination. 2. 97 of
the trainees were able to find a job that had
been suffcient to sustain their families. 3.
100 of the running costs (materials, salaries,
wages, maintenance, small investments, telephone
bills, electricity, transport costs, etc.) was
covered by the income from the training
projects. 4. Many people could be assisted with
the products made during the training, e.g.
crutches, solar cooker, hospital furniture,
schools, social halls. 5. After only 1.5 years of
cooperation the local people took over the full
responsibility for the metal work department on
their own request and continued the training in
the same way with similar success.
I am looking forward to your comments and
questions Peter Kömmeltpkoemmelt_at_t-online.de
What is needed for the method to work - some
essential requirements 1. The vocational
training centre's internal structure and
decision-making procedures should support such an
approach. A very hierarchical structure may
discourage people and hamper them in their
motivation to carry out the whole project cycle
and manage day-to-day work in the workshop
themselves. 2. Education and motivation of the
trainers are crucial to the success of the
Project Method. There is no standardised
curriculum that could be easily implemented.
Trainers have to be very flexible. 3. The
economic situation of the area should allow to
sustainably run a certain amount of production
activities as part of the training. The
purchasing power of potential customers has to be
sufficient to pay for the products. 4. A
minimal infrastructure of the area is needed.
Basic materials and tools have to be locally
available. 5. The economic situation of the
area should be such that, on completion of their
training, trainees have reasonable opportunities
and prospects either for self-employment or to
find a paid job.