9783939862383 CAPA Englisch - UNESCO-UNEVOC · 2016-06-20 · 3 MariaG.Baier-D’Orazio VitalBanywesizeMukuzaMuhini Guide for Practitioners of Vocational Training How to reform vocational

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MariaG.Baier-D’OrazioVitalBanywesizeMukuzaMuhini

Guide for Practitioners of Vocational Training

How to reform vocational training to make it more effective for the local economy and the population

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MariaG.Baier-D’OrazioVitalBanywesizeMukuzaMuhini

Guide for Practitioners of Vocational Training

How to reform vocational training to make it more effective for the local economy and the population

Editor:CAPA-Centred’ApprentissageProfessionneletArtisanal

Bukavu,Dem.Rep.oftheCongo

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Bibliographical Information: http://dnb.ddb.de

Originalversion:GuideduPraticiendelaFormationProfessionnelle

Lectorandtranslation:ORBISFachübersetzungen

2016FirstPrinting

©MariaG.Baier-D‘Orazio/VitalBanywesizeMukuzaMuhini

CAPA(Centred’ApprentissageProfessionneletArtisanal)B.P.1691Bukavu

B.P.356Cyangungu/RwandaAv.Industrielle,N°3,Communed’Ibanda

Bukavu,Sud-Kivu,RDCongoTel+243998623919/+243895430133/+243997738863

Email:[email protected]@gmail.com

TheworkofthevocationalandskillstrainingcentreCAPAissupportedbyBreadfortheWorld–ProtestantDevelopmentService.

ItisfinancedbytheGermanFederalMinistryforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(BundesminsteriumfürWirtschaftlicheZusammenarbeitundEntwicklung–BMZ)

andthroughdonationstoBreadfortheWorld.

Wewanttomakethecontentofthisbookavailabletoeverybody,soyouarefreetouseitasyouwish.

Weonlyaskthatyoukindlycitethesourceifyouusethecontentpublicly.

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ISBN978-3-939862-38-3

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WhydidCAPAdesignamanualaboutvocationaltraining? 7

Table of Contents

Why did CAPA design a manual about vocational training? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Who are we? – CAPA at a glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The characteristics of the context and CAPA’s profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Aweakenedcontextofcrisisandwar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13ThespecificityofCAPA’sprofile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13TheorganisationalstructureofCAPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Overviewofthetrainingbranchesandsub-branchesatCAPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

What is this guide about and how is it presented here? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Advanced systems of vocational training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Whatelementscharacteriseaneffectiveandhigh-performingvocationaltrainingsystemnowadays? . 21Whatdoesanorientationtowardsreformingvocationaltrainingentailforatrainingcentre? . . . . . . 22Vocationaltrainingandpovertyreduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Guidelines for a reformed system of vocational training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Special features of a reformed system: training of apprentices, upgrading of craftspeople, mobile training units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

On-the-jobapprenticeshipwithinatrainingcentre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Thetrainingofapprenticesfromcraftsworkshopsinthetown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Upgradingandfurthertrainingofcraftspeople . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Vocationalandskillstraininginruralarea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

The market demand should determine what training is offered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Innovationinvocationaltraining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Enrolment of candidates and vocational counselling of apprentices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Theenrolmentprocedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

The training programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Thedurationoftraining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Practice–acrucialelementinallkindofvocationaltraining...................... 83Vocationaltrainingandincomegenerationforself-financing-howtosucceedincombiningthem . . 88

Pedagogy adapted to vocational training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Inclusion of particular target groups into vocational training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Whichapproachesandwhichkindofpedagogyforparticulartargetgroups? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Theilliterate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Peoplesufferingfromtraumaorwithotherpsychologicalproblems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Demobilisedsoldiersandex-combatants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Disabledpeople. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Streetchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Averyspecialtargetgroup:pygmies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

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Socio-professionalinsertionandself-employment 131

Socio-professional insertion and self-employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Whatisneededinordertosucceedwithself-employmentofgraduates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Vocational training and gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Results and effectiveness of vocational training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Indicatorsofsuccessfulvocationaltraining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Institutional issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Thestaff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Howtofindgoodtrainersandkeepthem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Income generation for self-financing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Appendix: Sample documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Acronyms and Glossary 201

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WhydidCAPAdesignamanualaboutvocationaltraining?

Why did CAPA design a manual about vocational training?

TheseguidelinesarepresentedbyCAPA,acentreforvocationalandskillstraining(Centre d’Apprentissage Professionnel et Artisanal-CAPA)inBukavu,acitylocatedintheregionofKivuintheeastoftheDemo-craticRepublicofCongo.

Whydidwedecidetodesignthiskindofmanual?Wediditfortworeasons.Firstly,wewanttopreservethistreasuretroveofallourexperiencesforourselvesandforfuturetrainersandstaffmembersinourinstitution.Secondly,wewanttosharetheseexperienceswithothers.Wethinktheremightbeanumberoftrainingcentresthatcouldbenefitfromourexperiencesandthatthismanualcanhelpdirectorsandtrainerstoreformvocationaltrainingforthebenefitoftheirstudentsandtheirlocaleconomy.

OurtrainingcentreisofficiallyaccreditedbytheMinistry,butinouroperationsweactasanon-formalcen-tre.Thismeansthatallkindsoftrainingcentrescanbenefitfromourexperiencesandapproaches,whetherthey’reformalornon-formal.OurcentrebelongstotheBaptistChurch(Communauté Baptiste au Centre de l’Afrique)andthereforeourfocusistobeofusetothepopulationandtohelpthepoorest.Asallofyouknow,weliveinaregionthathassufferedfromcrisisandwar.Thismeansthatourexperiencesmightalsobeusefulforallthosecentresthathavetoworkinasimilarcontext.

Whatcanweoffertoyou?Wefeelthatweareavocationaltrainingcentrethathaslargelysucceededinachievingacomprehensivereformofvocationaltraining.CAPAhasexistedformorethan30years.Duringthistime,westartedaprocessofintensivereformthattookabout12yearsandwasabletotransformCAPAfromasmallandquiteinsignificanttrainingcentreintoacentrethatdistinguishesitselfthroughitstrulyin-novativeapproachesandtrainsahugenumberofyoungpeople,helpingthemtostartupaprofessionallife.Thus,wearenowabletoserveourpopulationandthelocaleconomymuchbetterthanbefore.

AsaresultofCAPA’sprogressiveconceptanditsadaptationtothedifficultconditionsofourregion,manyimportantinstitutionsandorganisations,andevenmedia,becameinterestedinus.Alreadyintheearlierpe-riodof2000to2005,thecompetentMinistryaswellastheVice-GovernorofSouthKivuofthattimecalledonustoshareourexperiencesandachievementsonvocationaltrainingwithothertrainingcentres.ThisiswhyweinitiatedanetworkoftrainingcentresinKivuthatisheadedbyCAPA.Afterthat,wepublishedabookwiththetitle“Guitars,BricksandSailors”,inwhichwepresentourhisto-ryandtheprocessofreform.ThisworkhadbeencarriedoutincollaborationwiththeGermannon-profitconsultingfirmFAKT.Thebookwaspublishedbetween2008and2010 in three languages (German,FrenchandEnglish).

Whyarewepublishingasecondbook,then?Isn’tthefirstbookenough?What’snewaboutthismanual?Thefirstansweristhatthismanualfocusesonadifferent target group of readers.Thebook“Guitars,BricksandSailors”wasmeantforalargerpublic,whilethismanualismeanttoreachpractitionersworkinginthefieldofvocationaltraining.

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What’sdifferentaboutthecontentofthetwobooks?“Guitars,BricksandSailors”isasystematicreviewofwhatCAPAhasexperiencedovertheyears.Itpresentsandanalysesthefactorsleadingtooursuccess,aswellastheobstaclesandfailureswe’veencountered,inachronologicalmanner.Themainreasonforthatbookwastopresenttheprocessoftransformationtoalargepublic.Therefore,itwasn’tpossibletowritethatbookasatechnicalmanual;thetechnicaldetails,themethodsandthepedagogicalapproacheswouldn’tbeofanyinteresttoalargepublic.However,weknewthatpractitionerswouldbeveryinterestedinthesedetails,inparticular.Thisiswhywedecidedtocreatetheseguidelinesforpractitioners.

We’rewellawarethatthefollowingquestionmightalsoarise:Aren’tthereenoughmanualsinAfricaontechniques,methodsandpedagogicapproaches?Indeed,quiteanumberofcountriesarecurrentlytryingtoreformvocationaltrainingandtherearedocumentsandconceptsabouthowtoreformtrainingsystems,oftenpublishedbyministries.It’salsopossibletofindarticlesandbooksabouttherequirementsforthereformofvocationaltraining,writtenbyexpertsondevelop-mentwork.TheFrancophonieorganisationhasevenpublishedawholeseriesofmanualsonmethodologyforcompetencybasedvocationaltraining.However,mostofthedocumentspublishedbyministriesfocusontheofficial statereformofformaltrainingcentres.Ifyouwanttoadapttothis,youhavetodoitonan“allornothing”basis.Thesearen’tdocumentswherepractitionersatdifferentlevelscanfindanswerstotheirspe-cificquestionsandtheirindividualapproaches.Andmostofall:Thesearen’tdocumentsthatwouldrevealproblemsandobstaclesyoumayfindinyourdailyworkandthatwouldgiveyouadviceonhowtoovercometheseproblems.Furthermore,stateplanningonreformsisn’talwaysasynonymforimplementation.Quiteoften,it’sclearthatministriesaren’tabletotransformtheoreticalideasintoreality.Here’sanexampleofthis:thegovern-mentsofseveralcountrieswantvocationaltrainingcentrestoestablishcollaborationwiththecraftssectorandthisishighlightedasbeingveryimportantfortheimprovementofapprenticeship.Ifyoulookattherealsituation,however,youmayfindthatthetrainingcentresdon’tknowhowtoestablishthesetiesandtheministriesaren’tabletoadvisethemeffectivelyonhowtodothis.Moreover,thesituationofnon-formaltrainingcentresisn’taconcerntoministries.Often,neitherthein-formalsectornorthetrainingofmarginalisedorruralpopulationareconsideredoraddressedinsuchdocu-ments.Finally,itcanbesaidthattheissueofvocationaltrainingintimesofcrisesandwarisanimportanttopicnowadaysindevelopmentworkbuttherearen’tmanyexperiencesandbestpracticesonit,andiftherearesome,theyhaven’tbeenpublished.

Thisiswhywethinkthatthismanualforpractitionershasitsplaceamongalltheexistingdocuments.Wedon’tpretendtohaveanswerstoeveryquestionandnordowepretendtobeabletoofferthebestsolu-tions.Wejustwanttoshareourexperiencessothatanyonelookingforideasandadvicetoimprovetheirtrainingsystemmightgetapush.We are practitionersandwewanttooffertoolsforpractitioners.

ThismanualtriestoconsiderthefactthatAfricahasaratheroraltraditionandthatmanypeoplearen’treallyfondofreadingbooks.Usually,themoretheoreticalandbulkyapublicationis,thelesschanceithasofbeingread.Thisiswhywedecidedtomakethisbookconciseandeasytoreadandusedexamplesforillustration.

Theintroductorychaptersandthoseaddressinggeneralaspectsofvocationaltraining,suchasconceptsorinternationalreforms,arewrittenbyMariaG.Baier-D’Orazio,whoisanassociatedconsultantofFAKTandassistedCAPAinthislong-termreformprocess.Thesegeneralpartsprovideanoverviewofthesitu-

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ationinotherAfricancountries(focussingonfrancophonecountries)andtheyspecifythechallengescre-atedbytheissuesaddressedinthesechaptersformostofthevocationaltrainingcentres.TheFAQ(FrequentlyAskedQuestions),thedescriptionofapproaches,thetablesandtheexamplesandsuggestionsattheendofeachchapteraremostlywrittenbyVitalBanywesizeMukuzaMuhini,thedirec-torofCAPA,withtheassistanceofhisstaff.ThesepartsrefertoCAPA’sspecificexperiences.

Thereshouldalsobealastcommentontheterminologyusedinthisbook.Weareanon-formaltrainingcentreandourcentrehasalwaysbeencalledthe“Centreforprofessionalskillstrainingandcraftsappren-ticeship”(Centred’apprentissageprofessionneletartisanal).Wearequiteconsciousthatmanyexpertswouldn’tagreewithdesignatingapprenticeshipormodulartrainingcoursesas“vocationaltraining”.So,whydoweusetheterm“vocationaltraining”,atermthatisnormallyusedtodescribeformaltrainingsystemsthataremostlybasedonstatecurriculumandleadingtoanofficialcertificateordiploma,inthisbook?Wethinkthattheterms“training”and“vocational”arequiteneutralwords.Iftheyhavebecome“ex-clusively”usedforformaltraining,thisisduemoretothewaythey’reusedandnotsomuchduetothemeaningofthewordsandwhattheydescribe.Wethinkthatanykindoftrainingthatqualifiessomebodyforworkoremployment,whetherit’sasmallactivityorabigbusiness,canrightlybecalled“vocationaltraining”.

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Whoarewe?–CAPAataglance

Who are we? – CAPA at a glance

(1) Where is CAPA located? Ourtrainingcentre-Centre d’Apprentissage Professionnel et Artisanal(CAPA)–islocatedinBukavu,intheprovinceofSouth-Kivu,attheMunicipalityofIbanda,N.3ofAvenueIndustrielle.BukavuisabigcityintheDemocraticRepublicofCongo,withaboutonemillioninhabitants.

(2) Which institution do we belong to?CAPAisanon-formalvocationaltrainingcentrebelongingtotheBaptistChurchintheD.R.ofCongo(Communauté Baptiste au Centre de l’Afrique-CBCA).

(3) How long has CAPA been in existence?CAPAwasfoundedbyCBCAin1982.Itspurposewastotackletheidlenessanddelinquencyoftheyouth.In1992,areformprocesswasstartedthathaschangedCAPA’strainingconceptaswellasitsstructure.

(4) What are the particular characteristics of our political and socio-economic environment?Withregardstopoliticsandeconomics,wemustsaythatCAPAhasbeenworkinginanenvironmentofcrisisandwar.Thiscausednumerousproblems,includingafailingstate,agrowinginformalsector,unemployment,alotofdemobilisedsoldiersandrapeandviolenceagainstwomen,aswellasincreasedpovertyandapopulationthathadtouseitsingenuitytofindthemeanstosurvive.Fromanecologicalperspective,theenvironmentisinastateofdeteriorationduetodeforestationandlackofhygiene.

(5) In which sectors, crafts and skills does CAPA provide training?CAPAcurrentlyofferstrainingin13sectorswith51areasorsub-branches,inaccordancewiththeop-portunitiesofferedbythemarketandthedemandfromthecommunity.Thisincludescraftsthatarecom-monlyknown,suchaselectricity,carmechanicsortailoring,aswellastradesthatarequitenewforatrainingcentre,suchasguitar-makingortrainingformarinenavigation.

(6) Who are our target groups for training?Generally,CAPAacceptseverybodyfortrainingprovidedthatthereisaprobabilityofprofessionalinser-tionforthatpersononcetheirtrainingiscomplete.Giventhesocio-economiccontextofpovertywheremanyhavetostruggleinordertosurvive,thisgivespoorpeopleachancetofindemploymentorcreateitforthemselves.Assuch,wealsohavesomeveryspecifictargetgroups,suchasstreetchildren,orphans,handicappedpeopleordemobilisedsoldiersfromarmy.Moreover,CAPAalsooffersfurthertrainingtocraftsmen.

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Whoarewe?–CAPAataglance

(7) How many people do you train in a year?Onaverage,CAPAtrainsabout600peopleeachyear,onlytakingintoaccountthosewhoreallyaccom-plishtheirtraining.Thereisanannuallossofpeoplewhodon’tcompletethetraining(4%in2013).Sothismeansthatwenormallyhaveabout650candidatesperyear(averagefigureofthelast5years).

(8) What type of certificate or diploma do we issue?Presently,CAPAissuestwotypesofcertificatesincollaborationwiththestateagency:alowerleveloneforcoursecompletion(Attestationsdeformation,A4-thiscorrespondstothecompetencyofanordinarylabourer)andamediumlevelcertificate(Brevetd’AptitudeProfessionnelle,A3–thiscorrespondstoaskilledlabour).Wearepresentlynegotiatingwiththegovernmentforpermissiontoprovidesomespecial-isedcourseswithahigherleveldiploma(A2–correspondingtotheleveloffinalsecondary).

(9) What is the rate of professional insertion for CAPA graduates?Theaverageinsertionrateisabout75to80%.Wehavebeenachievingthishighratesincewestartedrequiringeachcandidateandhismentortopresentaplanabouthowtheyintendtousetheskillforworkoncetheirtrainingiscomplete.

(10) What is the difference between CAPA and other training centres?Weareatrainingcentrethathasundergoneacomprehensiveandlongstandingprocessofsuccessfulreform.Wethinkthatthemainelementsthatdifferentiateourcentrefrommostothersarethefollowing:CAPAhasawide range of diversityintrainingcourseswithattentionbeingpaidtotheneeds ofthepopulationandtheflexibilitytoreacttoit.Theparticularpedagogical approachesgiveachancetoallcategoriesofpeopleinthepopulationtobetrainedandthedurationofthecoursesareadaptedtothedifferentneeds.Wehaveastructuredsystemforfollowinguponourgraduates.

(11) How many staff members are employed by CAPA?CAPAcurrentlyemploys(2014)59people:46trainersand13administrativestaff.

(12) How is CAPA financed?Overthepastfiveyears,therateofself-financingofCAPAhasbeenabout25%;75%isexternalfunding.

(13) Does CAPA collaborate with the State?CollaborationwiththeStateisindispensableinthesectoroftrainingactivities.CAPAhasintensivecol-laborationwithstateagencies,particularlywithregardstotheprocessofcertification:thiscomprisesco-organisationofthejurywithrepresentativesofstateagencies,thesignatureofthecertificatesforofficialvalidityandtheceremoniesforawardingthecertificates.

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ThecharacteristicsofthecontextandCAPA’sprofile

The characteristics of the context and CAPA’s profile

A weakened context of crisis and war

Fromitsverybeginnings,CAPAhasbeenworkingunderchallengingconditionsinsituationsofcrisisandevenwar.Thiscontextmeans:• Agovernmentthatdoesn’ttakecareofitsresponsibilities• Alackofstructureinallareasofpublicservice• Lackofsecurityforpeopleandbelongings• Alowdegreeofindustrialisationandasmallformalprivatesector• Aneconomythatischangingquiterapidlywithregardtoneedsandpotentials• Apopulationthatissuffering,pushedaroundandstrugglingtosurvive• Specifictargetgroups• Lowassuranceforplanning

ThismeansthatCAPA’sexperiencesmaybehelpfultoothertrainingcentresthathavetoworkundersimilarconditions.Itmayofferorientationaswellassomehope.

The specificity of CAPA’s profile

Anymanualcanofferguidelinesinatheoretical waythat’snotbasedonrealexperiences.However,projectsandreformsdon’tsucceedlikethis.Theysucceed,rather,throughcommitment,determinationandthegen-iusofthosewhodrivethem.Thismeansthatit’simportanttoknowwho’sbehindaninstitutionthathassucceeded.It’snecessarytoknowwhattheguidingideashavebeenandwhatthepersonalitiesofitsleadersarelikeinordertosituatetheapproachesandtheresultscorrectly.

ThefollowingpointsarethefactorsthatcharacteriseCAPA:• CAPAisasocialinitiativebelongingtoachurch.Itisthereforecharacterisedbytheguiding idea of

serving the population,ofhelpingtheweakestinsocietybytryingtoidentifytheirneeds.

• ThesecondimportantelementisthatthemanagersofCAPAarenotonlyqualifiedandcompetent,theyarealsohighly motivated.Generallyspeaking,youmayhavemanagerswhoworkjustlikebureaucratsandyoumayhavethosewhoaredynamicandseektoovercomeobstaclesthemselves.CAPAhasdefinitelybenefittedfromthelattertypeofmanagers.

• ThethirdelementofitsspecificprofileisthatCAPAemploystrainers who are practitioners.Theynotonlyknowthetradethattheyaretrainingverywell,theyalsoareclosertothetargetgroupandknowhowtotalktothem.

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• AnotherimportantfactoristhatCAPAhasalwaysbeencharacterisedbyaspirit of familiarity:themanagersandthestaffhavealwaysfeltlikeafamily,andthesamegoesfortherelationshipsbetweentrainersandapprentices.ThisveryimportantfactorhelpedCAPAsurviveintimesofwar,whentheveryhighdegreeofsolidarityprotectedtheinstitution.It’salsoanimportantelementforoursuccesswithdifficulttargetgroups.

• Finally,integrityisthefifthelementofCAPA’sprofile.Whyshouldwementionsomethingthatshouldbetakenforgranted?Well,justbecauseinrealityitisnot agiven.Nowadaystherearetoomany“traininginstitutions”thatwerefoundedforonereasononly:toprovideincometoitsfounder.Thesearepurecommercialenti-ties.Externalfundsmeanttosupportsuchcentresareoftenmisusedanddon’tservethepopulation(pleasebeawarethatbythiswearen’treferringtohonestself-financingefforts).

The organisational structure of CAPA

ThesearetheorgansandservicesofCAPAthathelpustoimplementouractions:The Baptist Church (Communauté Baptiste au Centre de l’Afrique - CBCA) TheBaptistChurchisthelegalagent.ItisthechurchthatinitiatedCAPA.AsCAPAisasocialproject,itbelongstothedepartmentofdeaconateanddevelopment.ThechurchwhichappointsthedirectorofCAPAaswellasthemanagementstaff,andthedepartmentofdevelopmentofferssuggestionsinthisregard.

The department of deaconate and development of the CBCAThisisthehierarchicaldepartmentforCAPAwithinthechurchstructure.Thisdepartmentisinchargeoftheregulartechnicalfollow-up,itreceivesthereportsanditensurestheimplementationofthedevelop-mentprogrammes.

The Board of AdministrationItiscalledCOP(Conseil d’Orientations et des Politiques)–CounselforOrientationandPoliticswithintheCBCA.ThisorganmeetstwiceayearandiscomposedofmembersoftheChurchandotherpartnersfromthevocationaltrainingsector.Thisistheorganthatapprovestheideas,plansandgeneralpoliciesofCAPAandorientsitsaction.

The director of CAPAHeisthetechnicalandstrategicmanagerofCAPA.HesuggeststheideasandtheplansofCAPAtotheboardandtothechurch.Hemanagesthepartnership,ensurestheimplementationoftheprogrammesac-cordingtotheorientationapprovedbytheboardandtheCBCA.HealsomanagestheresourcesofCAPA(humanresources,financialresources,informationandtime)andreportsregularlyonthemtotheboard,toCBCAandotherpartners.

The council of directorate of CAPAThisorgancomprisestheOfficersofeachtechnicalunitandsub-unitwithinCAPA.Itisanadvisortothedirector.Itmeetsmonthlyandalsoexceptionallyasneeded.

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The chaplaincy sub-unitThisisthespiritualserviceatCAPAthatextolsthepracticeofChristianvalueswithoutanyreligiousobliga-tion.Itorganisestheservicesandthespiritualretreatsandconductsthepreparationforbaptismaswellasweddings.

The Chief Executive of the training programmesHeisthemanagerofthetaskforceatCAPAwhoseaimistheprofessionaltrainingprogramme.Thisservicecomprisesalltrainingactivitiesandthefurthertrainingofcraftsmenaswellastheprofessionalinsertionofthegraduates.

Underthismostimportantcomprehensiveservicethereareseveralsub-units:

The pedagogics sub-unit Thisserviceisinchargeofenrollingtheapprenticesandofthetrainingandcertificationofgraduates.Itisalsoinchargeofthefurthertrainingofthetrainersandofnetworkingwithothertrainingcentres.

The gender & crafts sub-unitThemanagerofthisserviceisengagedinfosteringgenderaspectsintrainingandincraftsactivities.Herobjectiveistoachievegoodcoexistencebetweenmenandwomenincrafts.Thefocushereliesmoreonthetrainingandtheworkmanshipofwomenintheso-called“malecrafts”.

The sub-unit for professional insertion of the graduatesThisisabouttakingcareofthecandidates,thentraineesandfinallygraduatestoensurethattheymastertheirintegrationintoprofessionallife,whetherasemployeesorasself-employedpeople.Thisservicethereforetraversesthewholespectrum,fromenrolmenttotrainingandpost-training.

The unit for psychological aid and cross-cutting themesThisisapsychologistwhocounselstraumatisedapprentices(relatedtothefactthatwehavebeeninsituationsofcrisisandwarformorethan20years).Heisalsoinchargeofpeace-buildingactivities,protectionoftheenvironment,campaigningagainstAIDSandsportactivities.

The sub-unit for monitoring and evaluation of the trainingThisunitislikeanin-houseauditofouractivities,anditextendsfromtheenrolmentthroughtotheprofessionalinsertion.Ithastoensurethemonitoringofallactivities,includingboththeirdesignandimplementation.Italsotakescareofevaluatingtheresultsthathavebeenachievedandmostofall,theimpactofthetrainingonthelivesofthegraduates.

A hardware store for tools and raw materialWithinthecompoundofCAPA,thereisashopwhererawmaterialsandtoolscanbebought.Thisservesourtrainingworkshopsandproductionunitsaswellasourgraduates.It’sasmallhardwarestorewherethesematerialscanbeboughtatgoodprices,whichprovidesarealbenefittoCAPAandthegraduates.

A savings and credit cooperative for the craftspeopleThisisasmallcooperativewithintheCAPAcompoundthathasbeenofficiallyauthorizedbythegovern-ment.Itservesourgraduatesbutinamoregeneralwayallcraftspeopleandalsopeoplelivingnearby.Theycansavemoneyandgetsmallloansfortheircraftsandothersmallactivities.

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The Chief Executive of institutional development for the training centreThisunitisthesecondtaskforceatCAPA.Ittakeschargeofthequalitativeandquantitative“institutionalgrowth”ofCAPA.Thisservicecomprises:

A staff managerHistasksarethegenerallywellknownones.

An administratorHeisinchargeoftheassets.Hedoesthepurchasing,takescareoftheutilisation,dealswithmaintenanceandrepairandcalculatesthedepreciationofalltheproperty(trainingequipment,vehicles,buildings).

The local income-generating MORELOThisunitisdedicatedtothesustainabilityofCAPA.Thereare16peopleworkingattheproductionunitsandtakingcareofsalesofproductsandservicesinordertocontributetoCAPA’sbudget.Wemakeuseofthetrainingworkshopsduringthesparetimeaftertraininginordertogetthemaximumprofitoutoftheexistingequipment.Also,theapprenticesaresensitisedtostickingtotheirobligationtopaythetrainingfees.Moreover,wemayinitiateotherincome-generatingactivitiesaslongastheyarecompatiblewiththemaingoalofCAPA,i.e.thetraining.

The financial unitThisquitestandardunitconsistsoftwosetsofbooksandonepettycash.Onesetofbooksisfortheex-ternalfundingandtheotheroneisforthelocalincome.

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Overview of the training branches and sub-branches at CAPA

Currentlywehavethefollowingsectors,branchesandsub-branchesatCAPA:

Nº Training sector

Training branches and sub-branches

1 Textile 1. dressmaking2. batik3. crocheting4. embroidery

2 Wood 5. carpentry6. furnituremaking7. furnitureupholstery8. machinery

3 Construction 9. plumbing10.masonry11.floortiling12.joinery13.brickmaking14.rooftilefabrication15.paintwork

4 Metalworking 16.carmechanics17.metalfabrication18.panelbeatingandspraypainting19.welding20.toolsandmachinery21.carelectricity

5 Electricityandrefrigerationtechnique

22.solarelectricity23.installationofsmallhydroelectricfacilities24.domesticandindustrialelectricity25.refrigeration

6 Foodandgastronomy

26.cooking27.foodprocessingandconservation28.smallanimalhusbandry29.fishbreeding30.beekeeping

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7 Inlandnavigation

31.shippingandnavigation32.ship-enginemaintenance

8 Art,culture,music,beauty

33.woodcarvingandsculpture34.guitarmaking35.productionofdidacticmaterial36.fosteringofartisticactivities(music,folklore,theatre)37.decoration38.hairdressing

9 Appliedcomputertechnology

39.trainingforcomputeruse40.maintenanceofcomputers41.officetechnology

10 Leather 42.leatherwork43.shoemaking44.tanning

11 Soapmaking 45.localsoapmaking

12 Hotelbusiness 46.accommodation47.startupandadministrationofrestaurants

13 Environment 48.agroforestery49.basketweaving50.improvedlocalstoves51.wastemanagement

Allsectorsaremanagedbysupervisorswhoarestaff-trainers(thatis:regularlyemployedtrainers).

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Whatisthisguideaboutandhowisitpresentedhere?

What is this guide about and how is it presented here?

The contents of this manual

Inthisguidewe do not deal with ordinary questionsaboutvocationaltrainingasweassumethatevery-bodyisalreadywellawareoftheseissues.

Our focus clearly lies on topics of reform.Thus,inthisbookwedealratherwithquestionsthatmightbenewornotsowellknownandwetalkabouttargetgroupsthattrainingcentresdon’tnormallypaymuchattentiontoorthattheydon’tevenconsiderfortraining.

• Thisguidestartswithapresentationofthekey factors of good vocational training,i.e.whatisnowadaysconsideredtobebasic principles of a reformed training system.

• Afterthat,therewillbesomechaptersaboutpedagogic aspectsofvocationalandskillstraining,par-ticularlywithregardstospecific and more difficult target groups.

• Professional insertion and self-employmentareessentialissuesifweconsidertheresults of voca-tional training and its impact.

• Attheend,therewillbesomeinstitutional questions,particularlyabouttheissueoftrainers and self-financing.

• Intheappendixyouwillfindsomedidactic tools, models for contracts and other documentsthatmaybeofinteresttoyou.

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Whatisthisguideaboutandhowisitpresentedhere?

How are the contents presented in this book?

Withregardtopresentation,wedecidedthataschematicstructurewouldfitbesttomakereadingandunder-standingeasier:therewillbeapattern that is identical for each chapter.

Wealsodecidedtoadoptasystemthatmaybesomewhatnewforthiskindofmanualaboutvocationaltraining:westarteachchapterwithFAQ–frequentlyaskedquestions.TheFAQsystemistakenfromindustrialandcommercialusage.It’susedtherefortechnicalassistance,insalesandforinstructionmanuals.FAQisthepresumption of questionsthatpeoplemighthaveaboutaserv-iceorproduct.Becausethecompaniesknowalreadywhatkindofquestionswillbeasked,theyanticipatebygivingtheanswers.Thuswethoughtthatthissystem,whichwefindinusermanualsandoninternetsitesofbigcompanies,wouldbeanoriginalwaytopresentourguideandcouldstimulatemoreinterestwhilefacilitatingreading.

Ontheonehand,theFAQinourmanualreflecttheconcernsandproblemsofmostofthetrainingcentres,andontheotherhandtheyparticularlyanticipatethequestionsofthosecentresthatareinterestedinen-gaginginsomesortofreformoftheirvocationaltraining.ThroughtheseFAQ,wegivetheprimaryanswerstothesequestionsinaveryshort,conciseandclearwaywhilealsoprovidinganoverviewofthekeycomponentsthatwillthenbeaddressedmoreclosely.Themorecomplexandthemostimportantissueswillbeaddressedmorecloselyforthosewhoareinterestedingettingmoredetailedinformation.

Butanyway,eventhemostdetailedapproachtoproblematicorimportantissueswon’tprovideall theanswers.Inthiscaseweinviteanyonewhomighthavefurtherquestionseithertolookforcomplementaryinformationinourbook“Guitars,BricksandSailors”ortocontactCAPAdirectlyanddiscussthematterwithourstaff.

Note:Youwillfindthatcertainfactsorstatementsseemtoberepeatedindifferentchapters.Theserepetitionsareinevitableinamanualandalsooccurwherecertainissuesoverlapbecausetheydealwithrelatedmat-ters.

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Advancedsystemsofvocationaltraining

Advanced systems of vocational training

What elements characterise an effective and high-performing vocational training system nowadays?

Nowadays,mostofthereformsofvocationaltrainingthattakeplaceinmanyAfricancountrieshighlightthefollowingguidingideas.

• A very basic statement: Vocational training should not be mistaken for general education Itsaimisnottoimpartortoincrease“knowledge”,itsaimistomaketheindividualsuitableforaworkplace,torenderhimreadyforwork.

• The relevance of the provision of vocational trainingisnottobefoundinwhatthetrainingcentremay“consider”usefulornecessary,butis defined by the real market demand.

• The best approachesforaneffectivevocationaltrainingsystemarethereforethosethatrespond to the needs of enterprises or to what the market demands in a broad sense(community,environ-ment,customers)in terms of products or services

• The best approachesthereforehaveadirect link with the reality of the market–whetherintermsofhavingidentifiedthedemandandtheneedsofthemarketoringeneralcollaborationwithmarketplayersorinpracticalcooperationwithregardstothetraining.

• The best approachesare also able to adapt the training system–thecontents,thepedagogicap-proachorthedurationofthetraining-to the specific situations and to the needs of the people to be trainedandtherebyassurethatthemaximumnumberofpeoplearereached.

• An effective and successful training system isn’t limited to imparting knowledge but focuses on competencies It’snotjustenoughto“know”things.Theremustbetheability to do things,thatmeanspractical experience,andtheremustalsobethefaculty of “being”,whichmeanskey life skills for the work-ing world.

Summarised,thismeansthatthebest vocational trainingisclose to the reality of its economic environment.Itoffersthemaximum of practical experienceandsucceedsinproviding tailored skillsfortheworkingworldto as many people as possible.

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What does an orientation towards reforming vocational training entail for a training centre?

Ifatrainingcentrewantstooptimisethetrainingtowardsnewadvancedforms,itfirst needs to develop certain attitudes–beforethinkingabouttechnical requirements.

• Theinstitutionhastobequiteflexibleandopen to change.

• Themanagementofthecentreortheschoolneedstohaveacertainunderstanding of how the work-ing world functions, whatcraftsactuallyentail.

• Allthosewhothinkthatvocationaltrainingisjustthesameasgeneraleducationandthatatradeistaughtbestinaschool,needtoturn this conviction upside down.

• Themanagementofatrainingcentreoraschoolmustbeabletoestablish a respectful relationship with craftspeople,valuingtheircompetenciesandrecognisingtheirimportanceinvocationaltraining.

• Theremustbeopenness to dialoguewithallthedifferentplayers,bothfromtheentrepreneurialsectorandfromcivilsociety.

Vocational training and poverty reduction

Vocationaltrainingisakeyelementwithregardstopovertyreduction.Apprenticeshipandtheexerciseofacraftisoneofthesolutionstoaidinmitigatingpoverty,asitfacilitatestheproductionofservicesanditemsthatthepopulationneedsanddemands.

Insub-SaharanAfricatherearetoomanycountrieswherepoorandmarginalisedpopulationslackanyresourcesforsubsistence.IntheD.R.ofCongotherearelotsofyoungpeoplewhoneverwenttoschool,therearesinglemothersandwidowsleftbehindbytheirhusbandswhodiedinwar,therearehandicappedpeopleandstreetchildrenandanumberofunemployedpeoplewhodon’tknowhowtomanagetheirlivesduetothelackofresources.Thesearepeoplewhonormallydon’thaveaccesstoclassicformsofvocationaltraining,asthisrequiresacertainlevelofschoolingandsomemoneytopaythefee.Thesepeoplealsohavetherighttosurviveandvocationaltrainingcanhelpthemtosatisfytheirneedsandbecomefully-fledgedcitizensintheircountries.

Severalsectorsofsocietyhavearesponsibilitytoaddresstheneedsofthesevulnerabletargetgroups.Ontheonehand,thestatehastothinkabouthowthesegroupscanbeintegratedintothetrainingsystemandwhichalternativeformscanbeinstalledsothatpeoplewithminimalschoolingcanhaveaccesstovocationaltraining.Itwillbenecessarytoreducetheclassicrequirements(likethelevelofschooling,theimportanceoftheoreticalclassesandthelongdurationoftraining)sothatthesegroupscanhaveaccessandmostofallitwillbenecessarytodevelopmoreadaptedplacesofapprenticeshipandskillstrainingtogivethemachancetoearnsomeincome.

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Ontheotherhand,playersinthecivilsocietyandinthevocationaltrainingsectormustdevelopflexibilityintheirapproachesandinternaliseasortofvocationtowardsthesegroupsofpoorpeoplesothattheyareabletoadapttheirapproachestoallkindofcategoriesofpeopleaskingfortraining.

CAPAcanserveasamodelforthis,asithasgivenanimportantnumberofpoorandmarginalisedpeopleaccesstotraining.Theylearntatrade,practiseit,earnsustainableincomeandareabletomeettheirneeds.

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25

Guidelinesforareformedsystemofvocationaltraining

Guidelines for a reformed system of vocational training

Current issues

Duringthelasttwodecades,thediscussionaboutthereformsofthevocationaltraininghasgrowntoalargerscaleinAfrica.Oneofthemainreasonsforthisisthatthevocationaltrainingsystempractiseduptonowistoomuchlike“schooling”:itimitatesthemainprinciplesofgeneraleducationandisthereforetooremovedfromtherealityandfromtheneedsofthemarket.

The challenge posed by the reformation of vocational training

Obviouslytherearemultiplechallengesandmanypeoplewouldcertainlyfirstofallstatethatreformsneedmoneytofinancethem,thattherewillbeaproblemwiththecurriculumandthatqualifiedtrainersmustbefound.Forsure,alltheseelementswillplayarole.However,inreality,theprimarychallengesare:openness,thewill to be effectivewithregardstothetargetgroupoflearnersandreadiness for change.Allthisalsohastobefollowedbyaseriouscommitment to its realisation.Thesearethebasicfactors.Aslongasthemanagementofatrainingcentreisnotdeeplycommittedinthissense,allreformwilljustbepatchworkorsimpleglitter.

What we are frequently asked about our training system

(1) What is your training system?CAPA’strainingsystemisinformalandnon-formal.Thishasallowedustomaintainanessentialvalue:flexibility.Flexibilitymeansbeingabletorespondtotheneedsofthetargetgroupandthecraftssectorandbeingabletoreacttothemarket.CAPAensuresthatitprotectsitsfreedomtoadapttochangingcontextsandtobeabletoinnovate.Whennecessary,CAPAmayalsotakeapproachesfromtheformalsystemandanythingelsethatmaybecompat-iblewiththewaywework.

(2) What distinguishes you from other training centres?Themaindifferencemaybethatweareacentrethathasgonethroughacomprehensiveandlongstandingprocessofreform.Thus,nowadaysCAPAmaydifferfromothersinthediversity of craftsthatwetrainfor,theflexibilitywithregardstotheneedsofthepopulation,thepedagogic approachesthatfacilitateaccesstotrainingtoallpopulationcategories,thevaried and shorter duration oftrainingcoursesandthefollow-up of the graduatesaftertraining.

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(3) What brought you to the decision to change and reform the training system?Itwastheexperienceofthepast.Previously,intheeighties,ourtraininglastedthreeyears,anditwasreducedtotwoyearsabitlater.However,wewerestillforcedtorecognizethatthetrainingwasn’teffective.Wejustspentalotofmoneyforpoorresults,astherewerefewpeoplerequestingthetrainingandthosewhoweretrainedoftenabandonedtheirtraining.Itoftenhappenedthattheparentsforcedtheirchildrenintothetrainingandsotheyoungpeopleweren’tmotivated.Thetrainingwasoftenabandonedbecausetheyoungpeopledidn’tlikethetheoreticalcourses,andtheypreferredtogotoamaster’sworkshopintowntolearnthepracticaljobthere.Othersleftthecentreasquicklyaspossibleinordertofindajobsomewherewithouthavingfinishedthetrain-ing.Andfinally,toomanyofthosewhoreallyfinishedthetrainingdidn’tpracticethecraft.

(4) How long did it take to really accomplish this reform process?WehadbeenaccompaniedandadvisedbyaGermanconsultingfirm(FAKT),whichhasdevotedremarkableeffortstomakingusunderstandwhatareformmeansandwhyitisnecessary.But,inanycase,ithastakenabouteightyearstomakeitunderstoodbyallofourstaffandtohaveitadopted.Itwasquiteaslowprocess.

The main characteristics of CAPA’s training concept

CAPA’sreformedtrainingconceptischaracterisedbythefollowingcomponents(seeappendix:“Conceptforvocationaltrainingandprofessionalinsertion”).

• Access to training for all categories of target groupsthroughadaptedpedagogicapproachesandvariedtrainingduration.

• Analysis of the market demandthroughidentificationoftheneeds(intermsofproductsandserv-ices)ofconsumers,enterprisesorthelocaleconomy.

• Vocational counsellingofthecandidatesapplyingforthetraining.• A varied system of training duration:3,6,9or12months;2years;4years(inonlyonecase:ma-

rinenavigation).• A strong focus on practical training.Theratiobetweenpracticalexerciseandtheoreticalteaching

is70%to30%respectively.Fortheon-the-jobapprenticeshipsthatwealsooffer,therateofpracticaltrainingis95%.

• Key competencies and life skillsfortheworkingworldasanintegrativepartofthetraining.• A large diversity of craftsforwhichtrainingisoffered,duetotheflexibleadaptationtothechang-

ingsocio-economicenvironment.• Innovation asaresultofthisflexibility,theanalysisofneedsandthecapacityforadaptation.• Psychosocial counsellingfortargetgroupswhohavebeentraumatisedbywareventsorbylife.• Other activities complementing the training systemlikethesensitisationregardingcross-cutting

issues(peace-building,AIDS,gender,protectionofenvironment)orsports.• Thefollow-upofthegraduatesaftertraining.

InadditiontothebasictrainingconceptatCAPA,weofferotherformsoftrainingaswellasfurthertrain-ingtofiveothercategoriesandthesetypesoftrainingrequiredifferentstrategiesofintervention:• On-the-job apprenticeshipofyoungpeoplewithalowschoolinglevel• Trainingofapprentices of workshopsinthecity• Trainingofyoung people in rural areas• Furthertrainingofcraftspeople and workers• Trainingforveryspecific target groups whoneedparticularpedagogicapproaches

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What kind of difficulties could appear while trying to bring about a reformed system and how can these be overcome?

Problem, difficulties, obstacles

Strategy, method or tip for overcoming the difficulties

Resistance to change

All change provokes resistance from people who want to preserve traditions and the status quo.

Withregardstoareformedtrainingsystem,resistancewilloccurasfollows:- Therewillbeoppositiontocoursesofshorterduration,andpeoplewillsaythattheseareof“lessquality”.

- Therewillberesistancetotheintakeofvulnerableandmarginalisedtargetgroupsastheywillbeconsideredasa“dangertotheinstitution”.

- Therewillbemassiveoppositiontothereductionoftheoreticalteaching.

- Therewillbealackofwillingnesstocollaboratewithcraftspeople.

• Theresistancehastobetakenasanormalthing.Justlistencarefullytothesepeopletolearnthereasonsfortheirresist-ance.Thisenablesyoutoreacttoit.

• Don’tsuppressresistanceasthiswillspoileverything.

• Invitethepeopleresistingjusttotrynewthingsoutandtowaitfortheresultinordertojudgenewapproachesafterthat.

• However,iftheresultsofchangehavebeenproventoberel-evantandifatthattimetheresistancejustcontinues,thenitwillbenecessarytomakebravedecisions.

Government and/or ministries as a hindering element

Thestateinitsfunctionasauthorityforeducationandtrainingcanturnouttobeanobstacletothechangethatatrainingcentrewantstocarryout.

• It’snotwisetocarryoutradicalchangeallatonce,asthismightresultinformalprohibitionbythestate.It’sbettertogostepbystepandtointroducechangesgradually.Thiswillleadtosuccess.

• However,wherepossibleandwherethestateappearstobecooperative,itisadvisabletohavethestateasaparticipantinthewholeprocessofreform,i.e.fromtheveryfirstreflectionsonthesituationtotheimplementationofwhatisneededforchange.

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Lack of competency for transforming a curriculum into a modular system

Quiteanumberofintendedreformshavenotsucceededbecausethetrainersdidn’tknowhowtobreakdowntheclassiccurriculumintomodularunits.

• Everythinghastostartwithanevaluationoftheexistingtrain-ingprogrammeswithregardstotheirobjectives,thetimeplannedforthemandthecostofthetraining.

• Thecontentsoftheclassiccurriculumhavetobethoroughlycheckedinordertodetectwhichpartofitmightbeofnouseforvocationaltrainingandfortheexerciseofcrafts.

• Suchworkhastobecarriedoutbyateamthatiscomposedoftrainers,practitionersofcraftsand/orformergraduates.

• Finally,someonehastofixtheobjectiveforeachmodularunit,decideonthetimeforit,estimatethecostandknowwhoamongthetrainershastheprovencompetenciesforit,basedonhisworkexperience.

The difficulty of “handling” different target groups

Inreality,it’squiteachallengeforatrainingcentretoorganiseacurriculumfordifferenttargetgroupsandwithvaryingdurations.Innon-formalvocationaltraining,weveryoftenhavetodealwithadults.Theyneedanadaptedpedagogythatcannotalwaysbefoundwithteachersandtrainerswhoareusedtoworkingwithchildrenandyouth.

• Theonlywaytosucceedindesigningcurriculafordifferenttargetgroupsandwithvaryingdurationsistoknowexactlywhattheneedsoftherespectivetargetgroupareandtosettheintendedobjectivesforeachofthem.

• Aswellasthis,it’salsonecessarytoallocatethetimeneededforeachofthetopicsandtoprogramthemaccordingtowhatisfeasibleandwhatcanbedonewithregardstoeachcraft.

• Whenteachersandtrainershavetoworkwithadults,thereisquiteoftenalackofunderstanding,andfrictionoccurs.Clas-sictrainersarenotusedtotrainingadults,soitisthereforenecessarytogetthemtrainedfurther.Knowledgeandpracticalexperiencewithprinciplesofandragogyarearequirement.

The difficult task of knowing the market

Atrainingcentreneedstoknowthemarketandmustthereforecarryoutasortofmarketstudy.Quiteoftenithappensthatatrainingcentrewantstoconductthiskindofstudy,butnobodyknowshowtodoit.

• Firstofall:it’sbetterforatrainingcentretocarryoutthiskindofmarketresearchautonomouslyandnottolookfora“specialist”.Thereasonisthatyourowndiscoveriesareofahighervalue,eveniftheyarelessprofessional.Havingfoundoutsomethingbyyourselfhasmoreimpactoneffectivenessthanadoptingahighlyscientificresultthatyouwon’tbeabletoadapt.

• Ifatrainingcentrefeelsthatitlackstherequiredcompetenciesforthiskindofmarketstudy,itcanstillresorttoexternalsup-port.Butinthatcase,it’srecommendedthattheexpertscarryoutthisstudyincollaborationwiththestaffofthecentre.

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• Inthelongterm,themostimportantthinghereisthatthestaffofatrainingcentredevelopsitsownunderstandingofthemarketandofeconomicmechanisms.Thereasonisthatthemarketchangesallthetime.Thus,eventhebestmarketstudyisnothingmorethantheinstantaneousglimpseatthecur-rentsituation.What’sreallymoreimportantthan“a”marketstudyistoobserve the market continually.

The possible consequences of a reform often frighten the staff and reforms also have consequences for the equipment

It’sasadreality:Manytrainingcentrescontinuetotrainpeopleincraftsthatarenolongerindemandinthemarketandthatmaythereforehavebecomeobsolete.Thereasonforthisliesquiteofteninthestatusquothatpeopledon’twanttochange:therearefullyequippedtrainingworkshopsforthesetrades,anentiretrainingprogrammehasbeensetupandtheexistingstaffismakingalivingoffthat.Thus,ifareformweretoaffectaspecificcraftsoastotrimitfromtheprogramme,itcanbeanticipatedtherewouldberesistancebecausestaffmembersfearlosingtheirjobs.Withregardstotheinstitutionitself,thereisthepreoccupationaboutwhattodowiththeexistingequipmentifachangetakesplace.

• Abasicprincipleofoptimisedvocationaltrainingsaysthatifthemarketdoesn’taskforaspecificworkforceanymore,itstrainingshouldbediscontinued.Thisisbecauseifyouweretocontinueanyway,youwouldonlybesendingyourgraduatesontosureunemploymentafterhavingspentalotofmoneyontheirtraining.

• Whatcanbedoneifyouseethatthemarketissaturated?Herearesomealternatives:- Youcanabandonthecorrespondingtrainingorstopitfor

acertaintimetoseeiftheneedcomesupagainlateron.- Asfortheequipment,itcanjustbekeptoritcanbe

usedforproductionandincomegeneration.Inthiscase,thetrainers(whomaynotbeneededanymoreforthetraining)canbecomeworkers,perhapsjustwaitingtoseeifthemarketmightchangeagain.

- Inanycase,ifthereisn’treallyanymoreneedforacertainkindoftraining,thiscallsforcourageousdecisionsonthepartofthemanagement:othersolutionshavetobefoundfortherespectivestaff(liketransferringtoanothertask,searchingforothercompetenciestobeused,reducingworktimeetc.)insteadofcontinuingwithtrainingthathasbecomeobsoleteandthatwillsendgraduatesontounemployment.

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The challenge of innovation

Themorediversificationorinnovationtakesplaceinatrainingcentre,themoretheproblemthatnewtrainingprogrammeshavetobedesignedforthenewcourseswillarise.

• Firstofall,youshouldtrytofindoutifsomethinglikethisdoesn’talreadyexistinothertrainingcentresorwithspecial-isedorganisations.

• Ifnothingcanbefound,thenewtrainingprogrammeshavetobedesignedfromscratch,bysearchingdocuments,talkingtotrainersandcollaboratingwithcraftspeopleintherespectivetrade.

Three examples of the application of a reform system

1 Academic market research versus informal research by practitioners

In1995,wewantedtoknowifthecraftsthatwetrainedforwereleadingtorealprofitableincomeop-portunities.TheGermanconsultantthatwasadvisingCAPAwasoftheopinionthatthestaffmembersandtrainerswereabletoassessthisandwereabletoknowifthegraduates’craftsweregeneratingenoughincome.ThiswascontradictedbyalocalconsultingfirmthatwasalsoadvisingCAPAandwhoseconsult-antswereoftheopinionthatthestaffofCAPAcouldneverevaluatethisbecauseitdefinitelyneededsomeacademicknowledge.Theiropinionappearedtobequiteconvincing.Butthesituationthenshowedthatthepractitionerswereclosertoreality,astheaimhadnotbeentocarryoutperfectacademicresearchonahighlydevelopedmarketbuttoknowwhethercraftspeoplehadlearntaprofitabletrade.

2 The duration of training

Thedecisiontochangethedurationofatrainingcourse,particularlytoreduceit,isalwaysacontroversialsubjectleadingtolongdiscussionsbecausetheministryandthetrainersmighthaveobjections.CAPAhadalreadyexperiencedtheconsequenceoflongtrainingcoursesinthepast:itshowedupinahighrateofabandonment.Thetraineesabandonedthecourseseitherbecausetheywantedtoworkorbecausetheyfoundthecoursestoolongandtheyalsoskippedtheoreticalclassesthattheydidn’tlikebecausetheyconsideredthemuselessforwork.Atanyrate,neithertheresponsiblechurchinstitutionnorthetrainerswantedtoacceptshorteningthedura-tionofthecourses.Thetrainersfeltcomfortableinwhattheyknewandinthewaytheyalwayshadbeendeliveringthisknowledgetothetrainees.Theyconsideredthissituationasoptimalandthereforeanecessarypartofthetrainingconcept.However,forthetrainees,thissituationwastimeconsumingandnotoptimalatallandforthecentreanditsbudget,thelongdurationofthetrainingcourseswasasynonymforthewasteofresourceswithlittleresult.Finally,thetrainershadtositdownandtoevaluatethecoursesproperlyinordertotakeoutsubjectsandcoursesthatweren’tnecessaryforthevocationaltraining.Thus,thetrainingcoursesgotshorter,particu-larlyafterverificationoftheneedsofthetargetgroupsthataskedforquicktraining.Thus,forexample,thetrainingincarpentrywascutdownfromthreeyearsto16monthsandthetrainingindressmakingwas

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reducedfromtwoyearstooneyear.Theresultwasconvincing:therewaslessabandonmentandevenahigherdemandfortraining.Particularlywithregardstopracticalexperience,theresultsofthetraininghadbecomebetter.

3 The professional insertion after training

Totellthetruth,CAPAhadnotbeeninterestedinthisissueinthefirsttenyearsofitsexistence.Duringthefirstdecade,youngpeoplehadbeentrainedatCAPAinthemannerconsiderednormalbyanyothertrainingcentres,i.e.similartoaschool.Nooneasksaschooltocheckwhatthepupilsorstudentsmighthavedoneafterleaving.Thissituationresultedinawasteofresourcesbecauseitisawasteifyouinvestinvocationaltrainingthatismeanttogiveaperspectivetoyoungpeopleintheworkingworldbutthenthesegraduatesdon’tusethistrainingforwork,insteadabandoningit,stayingidleorjustcontinuingathighschool.Thisiswhathappenedatthebeginning.Itwasonlytenyearslaterthattheconceptof“professionalinsertion”cameup,withthebeginningofthereform.Whenithadbeenrecognisedthattimeandmoneyhadbeenlost,aunitwasinstalledatCAPAthatwastobeinchargeofsupportingthesocio-economicinsertionofthegraduatesaftertraining.Thissupportcomprisesmorethanjustthefinalsituation:ithastobegivenfromthebeginningwhilehelpingtotailoraprofileofthecandidates’futureperspectivesandfollowingthemupduringthetraining.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of / what can block you• gettingtooclosetogeneraleducation• regardingtheexistingequipmentasthemainguaranteeforsuccess

What facilitates success• iftheresponsiblepeopleandthemanagementarereallycommitted• iftheexecutivestafffeelsengagedinthestrategicorientationoftheconceptandprogramme• patience!Juststicktotheprincipleoftrialanderror.• applyingactiveresearch• listeningactivelytoallthoseconcerned• acceptinghavingtoquestiononeself• believingmoreinagooddesign(concept)thaninhardware(equipment)

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Specialfeaturesofareformedsystem:trainingofapprentices,upgradingofcraftspeople,mobiletrainingunits

Special features of a reformed system: training of apprentices, upgrading of craftspeople, mobile training units

Current issues

Mostofthecentresforvocationaltrainingactasiftheywere“schools”:theyoungpeoplewhoaretaughtaskillaremostlycalled“pupils”or“students”,thetrainersoftencomefromapolytechnicimpartingknowledgeac-cordingtoawellelaboratedofficialcurriculumthatisoverloadedwiththeoreticaltopicsandtheconceptofthecoursesisfixed.Inthiscaseit’snotpossible(ordesirable)tothinkofothertargetgroupsoutsidethe“classic”ones,whocannotbetrainedbythiskindofstandardisedschoolapproach,forinstanceapprentices,craftspeopleorotherpeoplewholivefarawayfromanytypeofschool,particularlyiftheyarepartofaruralpopulation.

What is the specific challenge with regard to the insertion of “non- classic” target groups?

Obviously,eachoneoftheseparticulartargetgroupsisachallengetoavocationaltrainingcentre,andthesechallengeswillbeaddressedbelow.Rightnowwejusttreatamoregeneralchallengethatwecouldcallsocio-economic.It’stheveryrelevantquestionofwhetheratrainingcentrewillbeusefultothewhole populationandtothelocal economyorifitjustwantstoserveaclearlydefinedsegmentofthepopulationwhowanttogetacertificate.

What we are frequently asked about the diversity of our approaches

(1) Are you a training centre that offers training for young people or do you accept anybody without regard to age?

CAPAwasinitiallycreatedforyoungpeople.Afterhavinggonethroughtheprocessofreform,wede-cidednottomakeanydistinctionsaboutage.Oneofthereasonsisthattherearealotofadultsandolderpeoplewhoarereallysufferingduetoquitedifficultlifesituations.

(2) Many centres are lacking candidates, so what is your secret to having such a big demand for training at CAPA?

Manytrainingcentresarepurely“functional”:theyareprofessionalinstitutionsworkingasaschoolwherethemasterdictatestothepupilswhattheyhavetolearn.We,however,makethetraineesparticipate,theyareinvolved,welistentotheirneeds,weasktheiropinion.Thus,boththeyoungpeopleandtheadultsfeel

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thedifferencecomparedtootherinstitutions.Wealsoofferorfosteradditionalrecreationalactivitieslikefootball,musicortheatre.Thisiswhyourgraduates“promote”ourcentreandtalkaboutittoothers.

(3) You also facilitate on the job apprenticeship within your centre: what has made you apply this rather unusual approach for a training centre?

CAPAdecidedtotacklethistypeoftrainingforseveralreasons.First,wenoticedthatmastercraftspeopledon’talwaysknowsomethingabout“theory”butthey’reabletoofferproductsandservicesthatareap-preciatedbyconsumersanyway.Thus,thetraditionalwayoflearningatradeonthejobhasitsjustifica-tion.Secondly,thetraditionaltypeofapprenticeshipcanreducethedurationoftraining.Thisisasolutionforallthosewhoareinahurrytolearnatradequicklysothattheycanstartworkingandearninganincome.Finally,youwillfindilliteratepeopleamongthosewhoaskforon-the-jobtraining.Astheydon’tfulfiltherequirementsforbeingenrolledin“normal”trainingcoursesthathaveatheorycomponent,theywouldn’thaveanyotherpossibilitiesforlearningatrade.Thiskindofon-the-jobtrainingisthebestsolutionforthem,andquiteanadequateone.You’llalsofindthattheyoftenmanageitsurprisinglywell,andtheprod-uctsandservicestheyproducearen’toflowerquality.

(4) You also train apprentices coming from craftsmen’s workshops in the city: what made you adopt this approach?

CAPAwantstocontributetobetterqualificationofapprentices.Quiteoften,apprenticesintowncan’tim-provetheirstatus,astheydon’thaveaccesstocertificates.Oftentheyremainfortoolongwiththeirmasterswhodon’twanttoletthemgoandwhoexploitthemasanunpaidworkforce.

(5) A training centre doesn’t normally care about craftspeople and workers who are already active in the labour market: what led you to the idea of offering further training to them?

Astrainingcentres,wearepartofthemarketwithitscontinuouschangingfashions,stylesandnewprod-ucts.Thischallengeofadynamicallyevolvingmarketisadailyconcerntoallcraftspeopleandworkers.CAPAwantstohelpthemmasterthesesituations.Thus,weofferfurthertrainingtocraftspeopleandtoworkersafterhavinganalysedwhattheyneedandwhatnewdemandsthereareonthemarket.Asecondreasonforourinterestinofferingfurthertrainingisquiteaparticularone:wearesteadilylook-ingforpractitionerswithgoodperformanceinordertorecruitthemastrainersatCAPA.

(6) How do you organise the training in rural areas? Whilefacilitatingvocationalandskillstraininginruralareas,firstofallweintendtogiveruralpopula-tionsachancetolearnatradeandtherebygainaccesstosomesortofprofessionalqualification.It’salsoalessonlearntfromformertimeswhenweweretrainingyoungpeoplefromvillagesatCAPA.Eveniftheyhadbeensentbythecommunityinthehopethattheywouldcomeback,theyneverdidreturn.Thuswethoughtthatbringingthetrainingtothemwouldcontributetoavoidingtheproblemofmigrationintocities.Weorganiseruraltrainingbyinvolvingourformergraduateswhoarelivinginruralareasandwhohavetheircraftsmicro-enterprisesthere.Theytakeintheyoungpeoplewhowanttolearnthetradeandtrainthem.Ourtrainersjointhematregularintervalstocompletethistrainingsotheycanacquiremorequali-ficationsuntiltheyhavelearntthetrade.Thesetrainingsessionsaredesignedinaparticularlymodularwayandbasedonwhatisneededinruralareas.WhentheCAPAtrainersgothere,theystayinthevillagefortheplannedtrainingtime.

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On-the-job apprenticeship within a training centre

Current issues

Generally,vocationaltrainingcentreshaveatrainingsystemthatiswellstructured,comprisingtheoryles-sonsthatarecomplementedbypracticalexercisesinthetrainingworkshops.Withinthiskindofconcept,thereisnoplaceleftforothertrainingapproaches,particularlynotforthosethatappeartobesimilarto“populartraining”asisdoneintheapprenticeship.Evenifthetrainingcentresmighthaveaproductionunit,youwon’tfindapprenticesthere.However,thereareyoungpeoplewho,foronereasonoranother,don’thaveaccesstothiskindoftrainingcentreandwhoneverthelesswouldliketolearnatrade.Theymayfindtheirwaytotheworkshopofacraftsmanintownbutitisn’talwayspossible.Somemaynotbeacceptedbecausetheyseemtobedifficultorbecausetheyarefemale,othersbecausetheymighthaveahandicaporbecausetheycan’tgivetotheworkshopownerthefeehewantsforthetraining.Soifatrainingcentrehasproductionunits,whynotgivetheseyoungpeopleachanceandtrainthemthereonthejob?

What is the specific challenge if you want to integrate on-the-job apprenticeship into a training programme?

Inreality,thechallengesofsuchanapproacharemuchlessthanwhatonemightimagine.Theonlyrealchallengeistohavepractitionerswhoarewillingandabletotakecareoftheseyoungpeople.

What approaches and methods does CAPA apply here?

AtCAPAwehaveseveralproductionunitswherequalifiedworkersareemployed.Itisintheseproduc-tionunitsthatweplacetheseyoungpeopletobetrainedonthejob.Theworkerstherethenbecomesortof“mentors”fortheseyoungpeople.Eachworkercanhaveoneortwoyoungpeoplewithhim.Thetrainingis95%practical.Thedurationrangesbetween6and12months.

What kind of difficulties could appear and how can they be overcome?



The workers in the pro-duction units might feel that the apprentices make them waste their time

• Theonlytrickistomaketheseworkerstryit!They’llquicklyrealizethattheapprenticesareofusetothem.

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The apprentices will be criticised for overusing and damaging material

• Thiscanbeavoidedbyaddingsomeextramaterialforthetrainingatthebeginning.

It will quickly become clear that even trainees in the “normal” train-ing courses will be at-tracted by this kind of apprenticeship

• Thepossibilitiesandresourceswillbethenaturallimittoitastheycan’tallbeaccepted.Thepriorityhastobegiventothosewhoarethemostvulnerableones.

• Onesortofsolutionmightbetostartthenormaltrainingcoursewithpracticaltraining,asthisiswhatattractsthetraineestowardstheapprenticeship.

Some of the apprentices don’t want to leave any more

• Theremustbeastrictlimitfortheendofapprenticeshipandtheyhavetobedirectedtothefinaljudgingpanelforthecertificate.

The workers may con-sider the apprentices as sort of competitors

• Inthisregard,therehavetobemeetingswiththeminordertoclari-fytheobjectives.

Some workers are not really willing to be “trainers”

• Inthatcase,thecontractsmustgenerallyberevisedandaclauseshouldtobeinsertedthatsaysthataworkerintheproductionunitofthetrainingcentrewillalsohavethetaskoftrainingyoungpeopleonthejob.

• Everynowandthensomepracticaltestshavetobecarriedoutinordertocheckiftheapprenticesarereallybeingwelltrained.

Three experiences of training with an on-the-job apprenticeship at CAPA

1 A “reformed” thief

AtapublicmarketnearBukavuthereareyoungthieveswhopretendtocollidewithapedestrianinordertogettheirhandsintohispockets.ThatiswhathappenedoncetothedirectorofCAPA.Butthankstohisquickreaction,hegotholdofthethief’shandinhispocket.Theyoungmanwasstrugglingtoescapehisgripbutthedirectorjuststartedtotalktohim,askinghimwhyhewasdoingsomethingillegalinsteadoflearningatrade.Theyoungmansaidthathehadnomoneytopayforatrainingcourse.ThedirectorlefthiscardwithhiminvitinghimtocometoCAPA.Alittlewhilelater,theyoungmanturnedupandtheonthejobapprenticeshipwasthesolutionforhim,ashewasilliterate.

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Sixmonthslater,hewasalreadyabletomakesmallfurnitureasheseemedtobeverygifted.Ninemonthslaterhehadbecomearealcarpenter.Todayhehashisownworkshopandhehasaregularincome.Heisquiteagoodcraftsmanandiswellknownforthat.

2 Porters at the embankment transformed into good craftsmen

AttheembankmentofLakeKivuatBukavuthereareyoungmen,wellmuscledandstrong,waitingfortheopportunitytocarrytheluggageofpassengersarrivingbyboat.That’showtheygeneratetheirmeagreincome.WhenthedirectorofCAPAapproachedthemoneday,askingthemwhytheydidn’tlearnatradeinsteadofstrugglingforsuchapoorexistence,theyrepliedthattheyhadneverbeentoschoolandthattheythereforecouldn’tlearnanytrade.TheywereinvitedtocometoCAPAandthreeofthemchosecarpentry,whiletheothertwowantedtolearnleatherwork.Thus,allofthemlearntonthejobandarenowadayspractisingthetrade,earningtheirincomethisway.Theycan’tevenimaginegoingbacktotheembankmentandtotheirpoorpast.

3 An illiterate man became the “best carpenter of the year”

Itwasin2002whenafederationofcraftspeopleinBukavuhadorganisedacompetitiontohonourthebestcraftsmenincarpentry.Thecriteriahadbeen:diversityandquality.Thejurywasverysurprisedwhenitturnedoutthatthetwocarpenterswhowerethenhonouredas“bestcarpentersoftheyear2002”hadlearntonthejob,lackinganytheoreticalknowledge.Oneofthemwasevenilliterate.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of / what can block you• Themostimportantthing:Neverassumethatilliteratepeoplecan’tlearnatradeandthattheycan’t

doagoodjob.

What facilitates success• Theworkersmustbepreparedforbeingtrainers.• Theremustbemonitoringoftheapprenticeshipon-the-jobtotestandtoknowiftheyoungpeople

arereallywelltrained.• Ifyouhaveilliteratepeoplebeingtrainedonthejob,youcouldofferthemtheopportunitytolearnto

read.

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The training of apprentices from crafts workshops in the town

Current issues

Wecanfind“traditionalapprenticeships”,thatisayoungpersonlearningatradeonthejobinaworkshopintown,inmostoftheAfricancountries.Anyrepresentativeofavocationaltrainingcentrewillclassifythistypeoftrainingas“nothingbuton-the-jobtraining”,insinuatingthatit’sjustamateurishandnotofanyvalue.Inreality,andcontrarytothisassumption,thistypeofso-called“valueless”trainingturnsyoungapprenticesintocraftsmenorworkerswhoareabletomakealivingfromit.Itistruethattraditionalapprenticeshipisnotcharacterisedbyacompleteprogrammewiththeinclusionoftheoreticalclassesandthismayturnouttobeahandicap.Butwhiletheorymaybemoreimportantforsometrades,itislessimportantforothers.Whatevermightbethemissinginthistypeoftraining,atanyrateithasbeenthebasisfortheeconomiesofmostoftheAfricancountries.Somecountries,particularlyinWestAfrica,arenowstartingtorecognisethisfactandtherearereformpoliciesthatarecurrentlyhighlightingthevalueofapprenticeship.Suchreformshavetheobjectiveofestablishingcloserlinksbetweenvocationaltrainingcentresandthecraftssector:ap-prenticesfromworkshopsintownshouldbenefitfromcomplementarytheoreticalclasses(suchastechnol-ogy,drawingorothertheoreticalknowledge).ThecountriesthatareprobablythemostadvancedwithregardstosuchreformsareBeninandMali.Senegal,BurkinaFasoandTogoareontheway.Ontheonehand,collaborationwithcraftsmeninordertoimproveapprenticeshiptrainingmeansappreciat-ingtheirsocio-economicrole.Ontheotherhand,collaborationcanleadtoarealimprovementforthesystemoftraditionalapprenticeship.

What is the specific challenge with regards to complementary training of appren-tices from workshops in town?

Thistypeoftrainingofapprenticesisn’tsomethingthatcanbeinstalledadhoc,asitintervenesinacom-plexsystemandonehastoknowtherulesofthegame.Theeasiestwaywouldbeiftherewasalreadyastatereformpolicyorsomeexperiencesfrominternationaldevelopmentcooperationwhereyoucan“jumponthebandwagon”.Butifthereisnothingthathasalreadypreparedtheground,youhavetostartonyourown,establishingwellthoughtoutrelationshipswithmastercraftspeople,andbebothrespectfulandpru-dent.Thebiggestchallengemightbetofindmastercraftspeoplewhoarereallycommittedandwhocanbetruepartnersforthetraininginstitution.

What are CAPA’s approaches towards the complementary training of apprentices from town?

Withregardtothetrainingofapprenticesfromworkshopsinthetown,ourapproachesarearealprocess:• Westartwithlocatingtheworkshopsintownwhereapprenticesaretrained.• Fromtheselocalcraftspeoplewetrytofindthosewithwhomwemaybeabletoworkandcollaborate.

Inotherwords,wetrytofindthebestones.

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• Wehavetwomaincriteriaforthisselection:thefirstoneisquality(howgoodishe/shefromatechnicalpointofview)andthesecondoneismotivation(doeshe/shehavearealpedagogicinterestinbeingatrainer).

• Thenweorganisemeetingsandexchangesinordertocheckifourselectionwasagoodoneandhowserioustheselectedcraftspeopleareaboutit.

• Thisprocesswillbeconcludedwithatripartitecontract(trainingcentre,craftsman/-woman,parentsoftheapprentice).

• Thecomplementarytrainingatthecentrecomprisesclassesintheoryandkeycompetenciesforself-employment(likebusinessmanagement,deontology).Practicaltrainingalsopreparesthetraineesforthefinaljury.

• Certificationisdonejointlybythetrainingcentreandthemastercraftsperson.




The main problem might be that the in-terests of apprentices and the craftspeople training them are quite divergent Whiletheapprenticesbenefitfromthiskindofcomplementarytraining,theirtrainersperceiveitascompetition,assumingthattheirapprenticesmightlearnthingsthattheywillthenfinallyknowbetterthantheirmasters.

• Onewaytomitigatethisproblemistopayalotofattentiontotheselectionofthesepartners.Itisimportanttolookforthosewhoarecommittedtothecause.

• It’sveryimportanttoinformthemastercraftspeopleaboutandsen-sitisethemtotheobjectivesofthetraining.Thosetrainersinthecentrewholearntthetradewiththesetypesofcraftspeoplecanbeaskedforhelphere,astheymightbeclosetothemandmaybeabletosensitisethemmoreeffectively.

• Themastercraftspeoplemustunderstandwhataddedvaluethiskindofcollaborationbringstothemandtotheirwork.

The master craftspeo-ple don’t want their apprentices to become as successful as the masters themselves

• It’sgoodtoselectthosecraftspeoplewhoarereallyqualifiedsothattheydon’tneedtobeafraid.It’salsogoodtosensitisethemabouttheissueofpromotingthecraftsectorassuch.

• Itmaybeconvenienttoorganisemeetingswiththepartnercrafts-peoplewheretheissueoftheperspectivesforcrafts(asasectorand/orbranch)isdiscussed.

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Master craftspeople might get something wrong in this collabo-ration and start to de-mand some remunera-tion or payment for their “service as train-ers used by the centre”

• Inthiscase,thetrainingcentrehastoexplainthegeneraltaskinde-velopmentandmustalsoexplainthattheobjectiveasawholeistopromotecrafts.

• Beforestartingtherealtrainingoftheapprentices,itwouldbegoodtohavecommonmeetingsinordertoclarifythesequestions:sortingoutthebenefitsofthisissueforeachoftheplayers(themasters,theapprentices,thecentre).

• Wherethecentrehasresourcestosupporttheapprentices,forex-amplefortheirinsertion,themastercraftspeoplewhotrainedthemshouldnotbeforgotten.

The master craftspeo-ple don’t want to let go of their apprentices

• Thereisaneedforanapprenticeshipcontractthatspecifiestheob-jectivesofthetraininganditsduration.

• Insuchacase,thecentrethatmonitorstheapprenticeshipshouldinterveneinfavouroftheapprenticesandshouldexpeditetheirex-aminationbyajointjurytocompletetheirtraining.

Another situation is that if apprentices have asked by themselves for the complementary training at the centre and if they then don’t find a job, the mas-ter crafts people will refuse to keep them as workers as sort of “re-venge”

• Theapprenticesshouldbesensitisedtobuildingupgoodrelationswiththemastercraftspeople.

• Allpartieswhoareinvolved(themasters,theapprentices,thecen-tre)havetobesensitisedabouttheircommonresponsibilitywithregardstothesocio-professionalinsertionoftheapprenticesaftertraining.

• Youcanalsotrytonegotiatewiththemasterssothattheykeeptheapprenticesonasworkersaftertrainingaslongastheyoungpeopledon’thaveanalternative.

• Stimulatethemasterstogivetheapprenticessometimetolookforajobortoorganisetheirself-employmenteventhoughtheyarestillinthemaster’sworkshop.

• Atanyrate,thetrainingcentrehastheresponsibilityofensuringthatthetrainingprogrammesproviderealperspectivesforworkorself-employmentandthatthereisacorrespondingmarketdemandfortheproductsorservicesgeneratedbythepeoplebeingtrained.

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Experiences with master crafts people and their apprentices

1 “Apprentice” for 22 years

BecauseCAPAhasbeenincontactwithcraftspeople,wehavebeenabletodiscoverhowoftenappren-ticesareexploitedbytheirmasters.Wefoundcasesofeternalapprenticeswhomtheirmastersrefusetoletgo.However,theseapprenticesoftendon’twanttoeitherleaveororganisethemselves.Theydon’tsearchforajoborforself-employmentanymore,beinghappywiththelittlesomethingthattheygetfromtheirmasters.ThiswasthecaseofMs.Sabinewhomwemetinadressmakingworkshopintown.Shehadbeenwithhermastercraftswomanfor22yearswithouthavingeverchangedherstatusofanapprentice.Hermastersaidthatshecouldnotlethergobecausesheneededherforwork.Shealsorefusedtoletherlong-timeapprenticeeverbecertified,knowingthatherformerapprenticewouldthenbecomehercompetitorandwouldprobablytakemanyoftheclientswithher.TheapprenticewasattractedbytheideaofputtinganendtothisperpetualapprenticeshipbuthermasterperceivedCAPAasdisruptiveandshedidn’twanttocooperate.Intheend,Ms.Sabinerevoltedandleftthemaster’sworkshoptocreateherownsmallenter-priseandshecametoCAPAtogetfurthertrainingsoshecouldgetthecertification.Todaysheisafully-ledgedmastercraftswoman.Sheemploystwodress-makersandhassixapprentices.

2 Dealing with the multiple “claims for payment” in tripartite cooperation

Whilequalifyingapprenticesincooperationwithmastercraftsmen,therewillalwaysbesomeexpecta-tionsandcomplaints.Onecaseiswhenapprenticeshavenotpaidtheir“trainingfees”tothemaster.Aslongastheyarewithhim,hemightkeepsilent,asheprofitsfromtheirwork.However,whentheappren-ticewantstoleaveafterhavingbeenfurthertrainedatthecentre,themastersuddenlyseesacompetitorinhimandstartsdemandingthepayment.Quiteoftenitalsohappensthatthemastercraftspeopledemandpaymentfromthetrainingcentreastheyareoftheopinionthattheyarethe“real”trainersandthecentrejustcertifieswhattheyhavetaughttotheapprentice.Inthiscase,thetrainingcentrehastoexplaintheob-jectivesofdevelopmentforthewholecraftssector.Ontheotherhand,theapprenticesalsodemandpay-ment.Theysaythattheyhavebeenworkingforthemasterwhoneverpaidthem.Thenit’sonlybymeansofatripartitereconcilementbetween“master,apprentice,trainingcentre”thattheissuewillbesolved.Suchacaseof“multipleclaimsandcomplaints”occurredwithMr.Bosco,acarpenter,andhisapprentice,Mr.Theodor.ThemasterwouldnotletTheodorgoafter11yearsofworkingwithhim,sayingthatTheo-dorhadnotpaidthefeethathadbeenfixedfortheapprenticeship.Hisapprentice,inturn,demandedpay-mentashehadparticipatedin13orderswithouthavingbeenpaidforhiswork.Finally,CAPAwasabletoconvincetheapprenticetopayasymbolicfeetohismastersothathewouldlethimgo.Butwhenthisconflictwasfinallyoverandsolved,Mr.BoscoappearedatCAPAtodemandpaymentfromCAPAnow,sayingthathehadpreparedtheapprenticeandthatCAPAhad“takenitall”.CAPAthendecidedtousethemoneythattheproductsproducedbytheapprenticeshadbroughtintopayforsometoolsandleavethemwiththemaster,providingthatheusedthemforfuturetraining.

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3 The apprentices’ certification – a multiplier in rural area

IntheruralareaofSouthKivu,whereCAPAisalsoactive,mostoftheapprenticesstayedwiththeirmas-tersforquitealongtime.Theyknewthejobquitewell,sometimesevenbetterthantheirmasters,buttheyneverleft.Thereasonisthewell-knownoneagain:itwasprofitableforthemasterwhoexploitedtheirworkbutalsoforthemselvesasitprovidedthemquiteeasilywithsomesmallincome.Whilequalifyingtheseapprentices,CAPAhasknownmanyofthemwhohadbeenwiththeirmastersfortenyearsandmore.AfterhavingbeenqualifiedjointlybyCAPAandthemastercraftspeople,theapprenticesleavetheworkshopsandstartupforself-employmentortheygolookingforajobsomewhereelse.Lateron,whentheyarewellinstalled,theyalsowillhaveapprenticessothatamultiplyingeffectisproducedinruralareathroughthisqualificationandcertification.ThisisthecaseofMr.Alphonsewhohadbeenanapprenticefor14years.WhenhewascertifiedthroughCAPA,anexpatriategavehimatoolkitasagift.Onlythreedayslater,Alphonsehadalreadystartedhisself-employedactivity.Todaytherearetwoworkerswithhimand5apprentices.Hisrelationshipwithhisformermasterisgoodandsometimeshismasterevensendshimordersthathecan’tmanagealone.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of in the relationships with master craftspeople• Nevertrytoqualifyapprenticeswithoutinvolvingtheirmasters.• Respectthetimethathasbeenfixedforthetraininginthecentreanddon’texceedit.• Don’tdefendapprenticeswhorefusetopaythefeesforapprenticeshiptotheirmasters.

What facilitates success• Applytheprincipleofcommonresponsibilitytoeverything:training,jury,certification.• Makethemastersfeelresponsiblewithregardstothefollow-upoftheirapprenticesforsocio-profes-

sionalinsertion.• Maintainthecontactandregularexchangewiththemastercraftspeople,andmakethemexpresstheir

opinionanddescribetheirexperienceswiththetrainingoftheapprentices.

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Upgrading and further training of craftspeople

Current issues

ThemostcommonwaytolearnatradeinAfricaisthetraditionalapprenticeship,thatis“on-the-jobtrain-ing”inaworkshopintown.Ashasalreadybeensaidinthepreviouschapter,thestaffofanytrainingcentrewillconsidercraftspeoplewhohavelearntatradeintownaspure“amateurs”.Thefactthatcrafts-peoplehavenotlearntthetradeinacentreorschoolpresupposesthattheylackwhatisconsideredthemostimportantaspectofatrade:theory.AcademicstaffalwaysconsidertheoryasindispensableandthefactthatmanyvocationaltrainingcentresinAfricaworkonthebasisofacurriculumwithabout60-70%theoreticalteachingseemstoconfirmtheirconviction.However,whileitistruethatlocallytrainedcrafts-peoplelacktheoreticalknowledge,itisalsotruethattheso-calledtraditionalcraftssectorhasprovidedthemarketwithmostoftheworkforce,anditwillbelikethisformanydecadestocome.Locallytrainedcraftspeoplemaynotbeabletoexplainsequencesofanoperationbuttheybuildhouses,repaircarsandtailordresses.Andquiteoftentheyhaveahighlydevelopedcapacityforproblemsolving.Notallofthesecraftspeopleareinterestedinknowingmoreabouttheirtradebutinanycountryandinanycityyouwillfindmastercraftspeoplewhowouldliketoupgradetheirskillsorknowledge,particularlywhenitcomestonewtechnologiesormoderndesign.However,hardlyanytrainingcentreperceivescraftspeopleasatargetgroupthatcouldneedfurthertraining.Usuallyit’sdevelopmentprojectsthatthinkoftacklingthisissue.Offeringfurthertrainingandopportunitiesupgradingtocraftspeoplecontributesimprovingtheproductsandservicestheyprovide.

What is the specific challenge with regards to the upgrading and further training of craftspeople?

Manypeoplemightimmediatelythinkofalltypesofoperationalchallenges,suchastrainingfacilities,organisationorpersonal.Thesechallengesdoexistbutotherthingsmightbemoreofa“challenge”foranyonewhointendstocollaboratewithcraftspeopleandtosucceedintheirtraining:youhavetoknowhowtheinformalsectorworksandyouhavetobeabletoshowarespectfulattitudetowardscraftspeople.Inotherwords:Onehastoconsidercraftspeopleasrealpartners.Evenifthestaffofatrainingcentreisacademic,theyshouldbeabletotreatcraftsmenasskilfuladultsandnotaspeoplewhoareignorantbe-causetheyhaven’tbeentoschool.

What are the approaches to collaborating with craftspeople and with regards to their training?

CAPAappliesthefollowingapproacheswithcraftspeopleinregardtotheirupgradingortraining:• Themaincharacteristicoftheapproachwillalwaysbethatitisan“approachofpartnership”,which

meansconsiderationofandrespectfortheirwork,makingthemparticipateindecisions,lettingthemfeelthattheyare“onapar”withusineveryregard.

• Ifthereisacraftsfederation,itisrecommendabletomakeacontractwiththeminordertoclarifytherolesandtosupporttheassociativeelementofthefederation.Ifthereisn’tanystructuredcraftsgroup,itwillbenecessarytostartaprocessleadingtotheanalysisoftheirsituation.

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• Thefurthertrainingandupgradingthatwillbeofferedwillfollowtheneedsofthemarket,particularlywithregardstotechnologicalprogress.Iftherelationshipwithcraftspeopleisagoodone,theywillaskforexactlythesetypesoftraininganyhow.

• Ifcraftspeopleagree,onekindoffurthertrainingcouldalsobea“practicalrotationalgrouptraining”intheirworkshops.Thismeansthattheyaregroupedtogetherfortraininginacertaintopicbutthetrainingwilltakeplaceinarotationalsystemintheirownworkshopsandnotinthecentre.

Thecollaborationwithcraftspeoplecanthenalsoincludethetrainingoftheirapprenticesiftheygetinter-estedinitandinversely,thetrainingcentremaysenditstraineestotheworkshopsintownforinternships.

Throughthiscollaboration,thetrainingcentremayalsodiscovergoodpractitionersthatcanbehiredandusedastrainersinthecentre.




Lack of qualified train-ers for the further training of craftspeo-ple Craftspeoplewhoareinterestedinupgradingwanttrainerswhomtheycanconsiderasbetterthanthemselves.Thisiswhattheywilljudgefirstofallwithregardstopractical expertise.Veryoften,thetrainersatacentredon’thavethecompetenciestobeconvincinginthisregard.

• Thebestapproachtofindinggoodandacceptedtrainersforcrafts-peopleistoaskthemtosuggestpeoplewhomtheyconsidertobegoodtrainersforthem.

• Ifitisn’tpossibletofindsomebodyinthetown,youhavetosearchincitiesnearby.Sometimesitmayevenbenecessarytogetsuchatrainerfromaneighbouringcountry;he/shecouldbeengagedtogivemodularcoursespaidbyhonorarium.

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The craftspeople inter-ested in further train-ing for a certain topic might have different levels of knowledge

• Inthiscase,theyshouldbegroupedandtrainedaccordingtotheirlevel.Generaltopicscouldbetaughttothewholegroup.

• Anotherpossibilitywouldbetotrainthemtogetherbuttogivepracticalexercisestothemthattheywillsolveseparatelyinsmallgroupsaccordingtotheirrespectivelevels.

How to train illiterate craftsmen

• Thetrainingmustthenratherbepractical.

• Youmustdealwiththeoreticalaspectsofthetraininginthelocallanguagethatistheirsandthattheyunderstandperfectly.

The training fees • Thebasicprincipleisthatcraftspeopleappreciatethevalueoftrain-ingifitreallyisusefulforthem.Thentheyarealsowillingtopayforit.Thepaymentcanbeorganisedintwoways:- Payingthefeesincashtogainaccesstothetrainingcourse;this

wouldbethe“normal”way.- Or,iftheydon’thavethemoneyforit:“trainingforwork”,that

istoletthemworkinthecentreandtocoverthefeeswiththeincomefromtheproductorservicethattheyproduced.

Some examples of collaboration with regards to further training and upgrading

1 When a type of training is really demanded by craftsmen, then it always will succeed

Itissortoftruethatwheneverupgradingisdirectlyrequestedbycraftspeople,thenit’ssuretosucceed.Thiswasthecasewiththemaintenanceofelectricalappliances,particularlyrefrigeratorsorfreezers.InBukavutherearemanyhouseholdswhereyoucanfindrefrigeratorsthathavebecomeasortofdeadcupboardandcouldeasilyberepairedandcouldthussavethehouseholdmoney.CAPAhadneverhadcoursesinrefrigera-tioninitstrainingprogrammeandwasthereforesurprisedwhenadelegationofcraftsmenworkinginrefrig-erationcametoasktoupgradetheirskills.CAPAfoundthatitwasarealneedinthetownandconsequently,trainingmodulesinrefrigerationtechniqueshavebeenformulated.

2 Auto-analysis in order to find out what training needs exist

Anyonewhoreallywantstoknowwhatkindoffurthertrainingisusefulandnecessaryforthecraftssec-torshouldlistentothepractitionersofthiscraftssector.InBukavuwehavearealproblemwithconstructionthatisn’twelldone.Themasonsandforemenblameeachother,buttheydon’tcometogetherinordertofindoutwheretherealproblemis.ThusCAPAbroughttogethermasons,foremenandarchitectsinordertoanalysethecommonproblemandthechallenge,i.e.the

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badqualityofthestructuresthattheybuild.Afterhavingaccusedeachother,theyfinallyfoundoutwhatthedifficultiesanddeficienciesare.Thesehavebeenconvertedintotrainingneeds.TheyaskedCAPAtoorgan-isetrainingmodulesandtheythemselvesrecommendedthetrainersforit.

3 How training can be “paid” through work

In2007,wehadorganisedamoduleoffurthertrainingfor57carpenters.Theyhadtopay$35eachinor-dertogetaccesstothetraining.Therewereseveralamongthemwhocouldn’tpaythat.Thus,whenCAPAreceivedanorderfromaschoolfor500desks,thetrainingwasstarted.Thecarpenterswhowerenotabletopaythetrainingfeesaskedtomakedesksandtopaytheirtrainingfeethroughthat.Thisishowwegottheideathatcraftsmencanpaythetraining“byworking”.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of in the relationship with craftspeople as target group• Don’tdoanythingfor themwithouttheirownparticipation.• Theyshouldnotfeel“exploited”bythetrainingcentre.• Don’tconsiderthecraftsmenyoutrainascompetitors.

What facilitates success• Therehastobeareal advantageforthem.• Makethecraftspeopleparticipate.• Developarelationship.

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Vocational and skills training in rural area

Current issues

Theruralareadoesn’tusuallygetanyparticularattentionwhenitcomestovocationaltraining.Mostofthevocationaltrainingcentresaretobefoundinthecities,withbarelyanycentreinstalledinaruralarea.Ifany,itmightbeapubliccentrewithintheresponsibilityofSocialAffairsoroftheMinistryofAgricul-tureandthesecentresusuallyarepoorlyequipped.Mostofthetimeit’sthedevelopmentaidorganisationsorNGOswhoundertakeeffortsinordertoreachruralpopulation.ThepioneersofgoodapproachesinruralareashaveprobablybeenILOwithitsneedsassessmentandspecificcoursesforvillagers,aswellasSuisseCooperationwithits“mobiletrainingunits”.However,youwillmostlyencounteratypeofhelplessnesswhendevelopmentplayersaredealingwiththeissueoftrainingprogrammesforruralarea,lookingforideasandforstrategiestoqualifymembersoftheruralpopulation.Thismayappearstrangewhenconsideringthataruralareaisaratherbasicenviron-mentwheresolutionsshouldbesimpleandeasytofind.Butsometimesit’snotthatsimpletofindgoodsolutionsforapoorandbasicenvironment.CAPA,whichhasbeentacklingthisproblemforalongtime,takesvocationaltrainingtoruralareaswiththeaimofcontributingtoruraldevelopment.Wethereforethinkthatorganisationsorothertrainingcen-tresmaybenefitfromtheexperiencesthatwehavebeencollectingover20years.

What is the challenge of vocational and skills training in rural area?

Oneofthemainchallengesisadaptation.Atrainingcentrethatworkslikeaschool,withfixedprogrammesanddurationslikeingeneraleducationsystems,willnotsucceedinaruralareawhereanyactivityhastobeplannedaccordingtoagriculturalseasons.Anybodywhowantstoserveruralareasfirsthastoknowtherealitiesoftheruralenvironment.Thesameadaptationisneededwhenitcomestothecontentsofthetrainingprogramme.Youhavetode-tachyourselffromready-madeconceptsandfromwhat’sconsideredas“professionalprofiles”inordertobeabletoofferruralareaswhattheyreallyneed.

What have been CAPA’s main approaches for reaching rural areas?

Weadmititopenly:beingabletoserveruralareashasbeenalongprocessoftrialanderrorforCAPA.Atthebeginning,westartedtotrainruralyouthatCAPAbecausewenoticedthatmanyofthemjustendedupinunemploymentwhentheyhadcometothecities.Wethoughtthatiftheylearntatrade,theywouldgobackhome.Butthiswasnotthecase.Thus,weconceivedanotherstrategyofaskingruralcommunitiestorecommendyoungpeople,sendingthemtotrainingwiththeaimofhavingthembackinthecommunity.Buttheseyoungpeopledidn’tgoback,althoughtheyhadagreedtodothis.Thus,peopleintheruralareaswerecomplainingthattheyhadtogotothecitiestogetaserviceorbuyproductswhoserawmaterialscomefromruralareas.Attheend,CAPAdecidedtotakethetrainingtotheruralareas.Westartedbyupgradingthequalificationsoftheruralcraftsmeninordertoimprovetheapprenticeshipoftheyoungpeople.Atthattime,ruralcraftsmenhadneverbeencertifiedandhadthemselvesalevelofapprentices.Itwasasifapprenticesweretrainingotherap-

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prentices.Ourtrainersthenwentregularlytotheruralareas,equippedwithtoolkits.Thetrainingsessionswereaddressedattheapprenticesandalsobroughttogethercraftsmenfromdifferentworkshops.Theapprenticeswerequalifiedthroughpracticalexercises,particularlywithregardstothequalityofthefinalproduct.

Nowadays,wemainlyorganiseruraltrainingbyinvolvingourformergraduateswhoarelivinginruralareasandwhohavetheircraftsmicro-enterprisesthere.Theytakeintheyoungpeoplewhowanttolearnthetradeandtrainthem.Ourtrainersjointhematregularintervalstocompletethistrainingandinordertoprovidemorequalificationuntiltheyhavelearntthetrade.Thesetrainingsessionsareconceivedinaparticularlymodularwayandarebasedonwhatisneededinruralareas.WhenthetrainersfromCAPAgothere,theycanstayinthevillageforaweekortwo.Theyhaveastatusoffreelancersandarepaidaccordingtotheservicesthattheyrender.




The lack of facilities, space for training and equipment

• Theworkshopofagraduateorofatrustworthycraftsmancanbeusedandspacecanbeaddedwithaminimumoffacilities.

• Theapprenticesandcraftsmenshouldcometothetrainingwiththeirowntools.Thetrainershavetobringtheirtoolkitswiththem.

You might not find any-body who wants to be a trainer in a rural area

• Anybodywhoisqualifiedandwhoiswillingtodothejobcanbehiredasatrainer,whetherheisfromthecityorfromtheruralarea.Thecontractwillalwaysbeonthebasisofanhonorarium.

What should the certifica-tion for craftspeople in ru-ral areas be?

• Whatshouldbegivenisa“confirmationofcoursecompletion”.Itshouldlistexactlywhattopicswerecoveredinthetrainingcourse.

What should be done with the products that the ap-prentices and craftsmen manufacture during the training?

• Theremustbeanagreementwiththelearnersbeforethetrainingtoknowhowmoneyfromthesaleoftheseproductsshouldbeused.

• Youcouldalsooptforanalternativeidea:toselltheproductsandtoreinvestthemoneyintopurchasingsomerawmaterialforthesubsequenttrainingcourse.

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• Thismoneycouldalsobeusedtobuytoolstoincreasetheperma-nentequipmentforthetraining.

Neither the apprentices nor the craftsmen pay the training fees

• Youshouldinsistinthepayment,evenifit’sasmallamount.Thisisaquestionofrespecttowardsthetrainingopportunity.

• Iftheydon’tpaybytheend,youcanaskfor“paymentinkind”.Theycanproducesomethingthatcanbesold.

Some craftsmen in rural areas think big, they want to get far by upgrading and to receive real certification

• Thiskindofpersoncanberecommendedtotrainingcentreswheretheycanreceivethefurthertrainingtheywantandwheretheycangetthecertificationthattheyarelookingfor.

The participants in the training course might have different levels of knowl-edge

• Justteachtheoreticalmatterstoeverybodybuttrytodeepentheexplanationsforthosewhodon’thavethebasics.

• Forthepracticalexercises,thetraineesshouldbegroupedaccord-ingtotheirdifferentlevelsandeachgroupshouldbefollowedupaccordingtoitsdeficiencies.

Some trainees might not adapt to the experience of learning in a group

• Beforethetrainingstarts,thelearnersthemselvesshoulddesigntherulesforapprenticeshipandsetthemeasuresforallkindofproblems.

It is very difficult to moni-tor and to evaluate the effects and results of this kind of rural training as there are many graduates and they can come from far away

• Everytrainingcentreshouldhavestaffwhomonitorandevaluatetheactivitiesasfaraspossible.

• Theremustbeaplanforthefollow-upanditshouldbeimple-mented.

• Thebeneficiariesoftrainingmusthavethefeelingthatthetrain-ingisembeddedinarealconceptandthatimportanceisgiventoknowingwhattheydowiththetrainingandhowusefulitwillbeintheirlives.

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Three cases of how training can be organised with benefits for rural area

1 Masons from rural areas can conquer a market after having been trained

Usually,masonsfromruralareaswhocan’tprovideproofofacertifiedqualificationwillnotgetanyaccesstobigconstructionmarkets.That’swhyalltendersforpublicconstructionsinBukavuarewonbymasonsfromthecity.ThemasonsfromKavumu,asmalltown33kmawayfromBukavu,hadalsonoticedthat.Theycouldn’tgetanyconstructioncontractsinBukavualthoughtheconstructionmarketwasbooming.Thelackofcertificateswasthemainreason.ThustheyapproachedCAPA,askingtobeupgraded.CAPAthenorganisedamodulartrainingprogrammefor54masons.Furthermore,themasonsjoinedtogethertosetupanassociation.Thisishowtheyarenowabletogetintobigmarkets,somethingthattheycouldn’tevendreamaboutbefore.Currentlytheyarebuildingamilitarycampwith16housesandtheyalsotrainothermasonsonthejob.

2 Brick makers as producers and trainers

Formorethan9years,CAPAhasbeenorganisingtrainingsessionsforbrickmakersinordertoimprovetheirservicesaswellasthequalityofconstructionmaterial.Twogroupsofbrickmakers,oneatNyangezi,whichis25kmfromBukavuandtheotheroneatChama,45kmaway,havesetuptwosmallproductioncentres.Theygetbigordersandallthebrickmakersfromtheprovincegotheretobetrained.

3 Vocational training as a catalyst in rural areas

AtShabunda,atown340kmawayfromBukavu,CAPAtrained8carpentersand4dressmakers,usingtwoworkshopsprovidedbygraduatesforthetraining.Allthesepeoplewhoweretrainedthenjoinedto-getherandsetupatrainingcentrethattheycalled“CAPAShabunda”.Theythensent6candidatestoustobetrainedastrainers.ThesetrainersarenowworkingthereandCAPAShabundahasalreadytrained77craftsmen.Today,ourrelationshipwiththemfocusesonthefurthertrainingandupgradingoftheirtrainersandoncoachingforthemanagement.

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Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of when dealing with rural populations• Ifpossible,youshouldanalysealltheconsequencesofatrainingconceptsoasnottocontributeto

migration.• Youshouldn’tunderestimatethepowerofaruralpopulationandwhattheycancontribute.• Nevertakesideswithsomeoneinthecaseofaconflict.

What facilitates relationships and success with rural populations• Visitthem,approachthem,listentothem,trytoidentifytheirproblemsandtheircapacities,show

yoursolidarityandworkwiththem.• Contributetomakingthepotentialandthecapacitiesofruralpopulationknownandlobbyforit.• Dorealandconcretethingstosolvetheirproblems,don’tjusttalkaboutit.

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Themarketdemandshoulddeterminewhattrainingisoffered

The market demand should determine what training is offered

Current issues

TheprovisionofvocationaltraininginAfricaisusuallydeterminedbytwocharacteristicsthatareinter-dependent:habitandimmobility.Habitmeansthatin90%ofthetrainingcentresinAfricayouwillfindtrainingprogrammesforoneorseveralofthefollowingtrades:welding,carpentry,carmechanics,electricity.Ifthereisalsogirls’train-ing,thendressmakingisaddedtothelist.Habitmeansthatthesectorsandbranchesarealwaysthesameandthatthecontentsofthetrainingprogrammesarethesameaswell.Immobility meansthatnothingchangesthroughdecades.Therearetrainingcentresthatofferthesametrainingprogrammesover20,30,even50years.Justsothatit’snotmisunderstood:traininginthesamefieldsforcenturiesisnotaprobleminitself–provideditrespondstoarealdemand.However,youwillbarelyfindtrainingcentreswherecheckingthemarketdemandispartoftheconcept.Usually,directorsandmanagersdecidetoprovidethetrainingthattheyconsider“tobeuseful”.Inreality,atthemajorityofthetrainingcentresyouwon’tfindanyfollow-upofthegraduates,there’snoinformationaboutthegraduates’employmentandnobodycantellifthemarketmaystillneedthistrainedworkforceornot.However,trainingcontinuesasusual.Onemightcounterthisbysayingthatthenormalenvironmentwithbasicneedsalsodeterminesstand-ardtraining,referringbythattolocalcontextslikeruralareas,villagesorotherhighlyunderdevelopedregions.That’struebutmostofthetrainingcentresarelocatedincities,quiteofteninbigcitiesorinthecapital.Despitethis,theirofferisn’tdiversifiedalthoughthevibranteconomyofabigcityiscomposedofplentyoftrades.Themostdynamicandmostinnovativetrainingcentreshardlyoffermorethansixorseventrainingbranches.Trainingcoursesfornewtechnologiesornichebusinesstendtobeinexistent.

What is the challenge with regards to the training sectors and branches?

Thebigchallengeastotherelevanceandtheutilityoftrainingsectors/branchesisthatarelevantprovisiondependslargelyonareallygoodperceptionofthemarket.Whatisneededistheobservationofthemarketneeds,howtheyevolveandwhatthismeansforrelatedtraining.Italsoneedsacontinuousdialoguewitheconomicplayers.Theseareattitudesandcompetenciesthatarerarelytobefoundattrainingcentres.Ifthereisamanagerwhoisuptotheserequirements,hewillhavetodealwithsomemorechallenges.He’llneedthecouragetoactconsistentlywhenhestatesthatatrainingcourseorawholebranchisnolongerneededbythemarketandhe’llneedthewillandthecapacitytolaunchhimselfintonewexperi-ences.Whatwillnowappearsomehowparadoxicalisthatit’sfarmorechallengingtogiveupatrainingcourseorbranchthantostartanewone.Thereasonisthatgivingupatrainingbranch“disturbs”theinstitutionalstatusquo:thecurriculumhasbecomeafixedcomponentoftheprogramme,theworkshopsarenicelyequipped,thetrainershavegottheirjobsforlife–sonobodywantschanges.

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What we are frequently asked about the market demand

(1) How do you identify the training needs?Theidentificationoftrainingneedsisthefoundationofouractivity.This“identification”isnotasporadicthing,butinsteaditismuchmoreofapermanentprocessofobservingthemarketandlisteningtothepopulation.

(2) Your centre has a large number of training branches and courses, so how have you come to this?Itwasbyrecognisingandbyunderstandingthatthereissomuchtobediscoveredinthemarketandthatthediversityoftradesthatwecantrainforismuchlargerthanwhatweusedtoimagine.Whatenablesustodiscoverthisdiversity?It’sthespiritofreformers.It’scuriosityandopenness.It’sbeingattractedbyinnovation.

(3) How did you come to integrate marine training into your training programme?Wediscoveredthistrainingneedbyanalysingtheproblemsthatnavigationcausedtothepopulation:thereweremanyshippingaccidentsonLakeKivu,peoplediedandcommercialgoodswerelost.Allthisduetothefactthatthepeopleworkingontheshipsandboatswerenotqualified.Wewantedtocontributetosafernavigationandsavelivesandgoods.Thuswestartedthisquiteparticulartrainingincollaborationwiththeshipoperators’associationandtherespectiveauthorities.

(4) You are in a region suffering from crisis and war, so how could you have had the idea to make guitars precisely in such an environment?

ItmaybehardtobelievebutcrisisandwarhavenotaffectedthesurvivalofCongolesemusic.Congolesepeople,particularlyyoungpeople,lovemusic.Weintegratedthistrainingareaintoourprogrammeforthreereasons:• first,becausewediscoveredthattherewasalocalinventorwhoknewhowtomakeguitarsbutwho

didn’tknowhowtocommercialisehisknowledge• secondly,wethoughtthatthiswasaninnovativetrainingprogrammeintheregionandthatitwas

worthtryingitout• finally,webelongtoachurchandweknewthattherewouldbeademandfortheseinstrumentsbe-

causepeopleplayguitarsinallchurches.

(5) Looking at all your training activities from the outside, can we ask ourselves if CAPA will finally embrace everything?

Thisiscertainlynotourobjective.Weconsiderwhatweareabletodoandwhatisfeasibledependingonthespace,theresourcesandthemanagementcapacities.Butobviously,CAPAlikesthechallengeofinnovation.Othercentresandschoolsintheregioncomplementus.Thisisaprinciplethatwouldbequiteusefulinthesectorofvocationaltraining:insteadofallcentresdoingthesamething,itwouldbegoodtocomplementeachotherandnottodowhatothersdoalreadyordoevenbetter.

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How is it possible to know which training course will offer real employment perspectives?

AtCAPA,webecameawareofthefactthattrainingcentresalwaysofferthesametrainingeverywherebutthatifyouobserveeconomyclosely,itshowsthattherearesomanytradesandactivitiesnobodyistrain-ingfor.Employmentpossibilitieswillhavetobediscovered.Themanagementofmostoftheschoolsandtrainingcentreslacksknowledgeofthemarket.Ifyoucomefromabusinessfamily,you’llhavethisca-pacityasanaturalattitude.Inallothercases,you’llhavetodevelopthehabitofdailymarketobservation.Observationmeans:see,listen,touch,taste,feel.Itmeanstoobserveandtoperceivethingsinaconsciousway.AtCAPA,wedohaveateaminchargeofobservingandappreciatingthemarketdemandaswellasthemarketprovision.Theyalsodoinformalresearchatcommunitylevelinordertoknowwhatthepopula-tionneedsintermsofproductsandservices.Ifnecessary,CAPAmayalsolaunchformalresearchbyap-pointingspecialists.




Lack of capacity to identify new training areas (lack of knowl-edge about economy and trades)

• Carryoutsectorstudiesonmarketdemandorminorinformalre-searchatcommunitylevelinordertofindoutwhatdemandthereisandwhattherealneedsthereareforservicesandproductsthatcraftsmencouldprovide.

• Observethenaturalenvironmenttocheckwhatkindofnaturalresourcescouldbetransformedbycraftspeopleintoproductsthatcouldbeofinterestforthepopulation.

• Studytourstoothercentres(alsoinotherregions/othercountries)mightinspireyoutothinkaboutnewopportunities.

The “standard” idea of what vocational train-ing has to be and what kind of trades one can train for or not, is hin-dering openness and discovery

• Youcouldsitdownandthinkaboutwhat“themarket”is,thengothroughalleconomicactivities,particularlythelocalmarket,andmakealistofit.Finally,youmightaskyourselfwhythereareonlytrainingoptionsforwellknowntradesdespitethefactthattherearesomanyeconomicactivities.

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• Thisnewwayoflookingatitmightthenhelpuncoverwhichoftheseeconomicactivitiescanbeseenasopportunitiesfortraining.Themaincriteriawillbeiftheycorrespondtoservicesorproductsforwhichthereisarealmarketdemand.

At first sight, it might seem like you won’t find trainers for new and “unknown” cours-es

• Youhavetolookattheregionalleveltoseeifthereissomebodywhocouldtraintrainers.

• Ifyoucan’tfindanyone,theonlypossibilitywillbetobringthetrainersofthecentretogetherwithcraftspeoplefromthetownwhoaredoingtheactivitiesyouwanttotrainfor;thismeansbuildinguptheknow-how.

• Youcouldalsoswitchtonew“parameters”andconsiderthatgiftedcraftspeoplecouldbehiredastrainersandgraduallyacquiretheirqualifications.

• Inthelastcase,youcouldtrytofindthem,selectthemandstarttotraintheminpedagogyforbeingtrainersatthecentre.

Starting new training branches might pro-voke opposition among the staff as this could signify that other areas will be closed down This in turn means that some trainers could lose their jobs

• Thestrategicplanofthecentreshouldbesharedwiththewholestaff.

• Introducetheconceptofteam-worksothateverybodyknowswhathis/herstrengthsareandhowthesecompetenciesareusefulforthecentresothateveryonecanachievetheobjectivesalltogether.

• Insertclausesthatallowforacertainflexibilitywithregardstofur-therchangesoftasksorpositionsintothecontractsofemployment.

What kind of training programme for a new trade?

• Dosomeresearchtoseeifyoucanfindexistingtrainingcoursesortrainingprogrammeswithotheractors:trainingcentres,ministries,organisations,developmentcooperation,ILOorUNESCO.

• Ifyoucan’tfindanything,juststartputtingtogetheryourownpro-gramme,basedontheexperiencesofthepractitionersdoingthetrade.

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Five examples that could show how the market demand and the needs of the population can be considered in the provision of training

1 Solar energy: a problem for the population is transformed into a training course

InourcitiesofKivuandintheruralareas,wehavearatherparadoxicalsituation:weoftenlackelectricityalthoughthesunisalwaysshining.Thus,manyhouseholdswhoknewaboutsolarenergyandwhohaveabitofmoneyarenowtryingtogetsolarpanelsinstalledsotheycanhavelightduringthenight.Itturnedoutthatlocalcraftspeoplelackknowledgeonhowtoinstallthepanels.Thisproblemhadbeenexpressedbythecommunity.Therefore,CAPAtookuptraininginelectricity,withaparticularfocusonsolarenergy.Currently,ourgraduateshavealreadyinstalledabout118solarpanelsandthepopulationisverysatisfiedwiththisservice.Thetrainingisverymuchindemandandthegraduatesearntheirincomewiththisoc-cupation.

2 A real answer to a market demand: upholstery

Whenweexperiencedthecoltanboominourregion,towardstheendofthenineties,thehouseholdsstartedtoaskforupholsteredfurniture.However,thecarpentersofthecitydidn’thaveanyknowledgeinthiscar-pentryspeciality,sotheycouldn’tgainaccesstothisprofitableactivityandthepopulationcouldn’tfindwhatwasneeded.ThecarpentersthenapproachedCAPAtorequestupgrading.Togetherwiththelocalfederationofcrafts-people,CAPAorganisedthistraininginupholsteryandthecarpenterscouldfinallyearnsupplementaryincomefromthisspeciality.Thistrainingcourseisstillofferedasthereisanongoingdemandforit.Everythreemonthstherearenewcandidatesforitandtherearealsonewmodelsofupholsteredfurniturethatarecreated.

3 Soap making: faithfully following the market demand - economic slowdown, downturn, pick-up…

InSouthKivuweoftenlackproductsalthoughtherawmaterialexistshereandtheproductscouldbemanufactured.Thisisthecasewithimportedsoap.Wedohavepalmoilhereandcouldthereforeproducesoap.ThisiswhyCAPAstartedcoursesinsoapmakinginruralareasandalsoinBukavu.Thesecourseshadbecomesopopularthatlotsofpeoplecametobetrained.Theconsequencewasthedeclineinsalesbecauseofthehighlevelofcompetitionandalsobecauseofuncontrolledimports.Consequently,wedecidedtostopthetraining.Nowadaysweonlyorganiseupgradingforthosewhostillproducesoapinordertoimprovequality.Ifatanytimetheneedfortrainingappearedagainandifweconsideritajustifiedneedwithregardstothemarketsituation,wemightstarttrainingsoapmakersagain.

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4 How a training need was discovered through informal research

WhenthewarwasoverintheeastoftheD.R.ofCongo,wenoticedarealboomintheconstructionsector.Werealisedthenthat“construction”doesn’tonlymeanmasonrybutthattherearemanyotheractivitieslinkedtoit.Thus,ourinformalresearchinthecityrevealedthattherewasaneedforplumbers.Thosewhowereworkinginthatfieldwerequiteold.TheyhadbeentrainedbytheBelgiancolonialmastersduringthecolonialperiodbutnow,duetooldage,plumberswere“dyingout”.CAPAdecidedtorevaluethiscraft.UpgradingwasofferedtotheplumbersandplumbingwasalsoorganisedasanewtrainingcourseatCAPA.

5 Sub-branches can also be interesting training opportunities

AtCAPAwealwaysnoticeahighdegreeofinterestbyyoungmenincarmechanics.Eveniftheydon’thaverealperspectivesforsocio-professionalinsertionbecausethemarketis“flooded”withcarmechan-ics,theystillwanttolearnthistrade.Asacertainguaranteeofprofessionalinsertionisoneofourmaincriteriaforacceptingpeopletoourtrainingcoursesandevenfororganisingthetraining,wewerebotheredbythissituation.Thuswestartedtostudythetradeindetailtoseeifwecouldofferspecialitieswithinthistradeasalter-natives.Thenwestartedtooffer“sub-branches”ofcarmechanicsfortrainingandwheregraduatescanreallyfindincome:panelbeating,spraypainting,carelectricityandenginemaintenanceforboats.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of • Neverjudgetooquicklywhatcould(only)beconsideredasacrafttotrainforandneverjudgetoo

quicklythatatradeisnotfeasible.• Don’tmistake“(personal)desires”forreal“(market)needs”.Therearetradesthatarejust“invogue”

andeverybodywillbeaskingforthetraining.However,thissocialdemanddoesn’talwayscorre-spondtoarealmarketdemandandyoumighttrainpeoplewho’lljustendupunemployed.

What facilitates successful training that corresponds with a market demand • Marketresearch.Whoeverisconductingit,whetherit’sexpertsorthetrainingcentreitself,thede-

mand,theneedsandtheopportunitiesofthemarketshouldbeknown.• Existinglocalmaterialandresourcesmaybeusedtoproducethingsthatareindemandandthatmay

alsobesubstitutesforimportedproducts.• Toremainflexible.It’sbetternottochoosetrainingbrancheswhereyouneedheavyequipment,as

thiswillbeanobstructioninthefuture,oryoumaylookforcooperationwiththeprivatesector(en-terprises)wheretheequipmentcanbeusedfortraining.

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Innovation in vocational training

Current issues

Onecouldsummarisethesituationlikethis:everybodywantsinnovationbutfewactuallyinnovate.Everybodyishighlightingthenecessityofinnovationinvocationaltraining,i.e.theneedfortraininginnewtechnologies,trainingcoursesfornewtradesandoccupationsandthedevelopmentofprototypesfornewproducts.Governmentshighlightit,sayingthatthenationaleconomiesneedinnovationandtherecannotbeasingledevelopmentorganisationthatdoesn’tseemtobeinterestedininnovation.However,whenyouvisittrainingcentresalloverAfrica,youwillonlyfindafewofthemengagedinnewtrainingbranchesorbeingmodelsfornewproductsorservices.Therearedifferentformsorgradesofaninnovativespirit.Atsometrainingcentres,managementcouldbelievethatacourseincomputermaintenanceorinwebdesignmayalreadybeinnovation.Othersbelievethatinnovationinvocationaltrainingmeansobservingthemarketinordertoidentifynewemploymentopportunitiesandtodesigncorrespondingtrainingcoursesorbranches.Finally,thethirdgroupwillbeoftheopinionthatrealinnovatorsarepioneerswhocreatethingsornewideasbythemselves.Throughoutitsreformprocessofmorethantwentyyears,CAPAhasdaredtotryoutseveralnewexperi-encesandwouldliketosharethemherewithothers.

What is the specific challenge of innovation?

Manythinkthatinnovationisnotpossibleifyoudon’thavethespecificcompetences.Indeed,thismightbearealfactortobeconsidered.Thisisn’tthemainfactor,however.Themainchallengeispassion.Youwon’tfindanyrealinnovationifyoudon’thavepassionforit,evenifitisonlyaboutsmallthings.Wheredoespassioncomefrom?Itoriginatesincuriosity,inthespiritofresearch,inoriginality.Inbusiness,in-novationsometimestakesplacebecausepeoplewanttodifferentiatethemselvesfromtheircompetitors.Insocialaffairs,however,innovationwillcomefromthedesireforimprovement,fromtheconvictionthattheremaybeproductsorservicesthatcansolveproblemsbetter,thatcanservethepopulationbetter.Thus,thepassionforrenderingabetterserviceistheprimarychallenge.It’sonlyafterthisthatnewandcreativeideaswillbecheckedtoseeiftheyarefeasible.Thiswillthenbethesecondchallenge.

What have the main approaches in innovation been?

Wethinkthattherearefiveelementsthatcanhelptoapproachinnovation:

• Firstofall,youhavetofreeyourselffromstandardisedthinkingaboutwhatatrainingcentre“cando”orwhatit“cannotdo”.Withoutatotallyopenmind,you’llgonowhereandnonewideawillbecreated.Thismeansyouhavetostepoutofwhatiscommonandwhatisconsidered“normal”foratrainingcentre.Onlylikethiswillyoufindnewideas.

• Secondly,youhavetocultivatethespiritofcuriosity.Withoutcuriosity,nonewopportunitywillbediscoveredandnonewhorizonwillshowup.

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• Third,youhavetogiveaspecificcontenttoinnovationwithinthesystemofvocationaltraining.It’snotnecessaryheretocreatethingsorideasthatnobodyhaseverseen.Invocationaltraining,innova-tioncanhaveseveralmeanings.Itcanbethetransformationofasimpleactivityintoareal“trade”asitcansignifythediscoveryoftradesthathaveneverknowntrainingoritcanalsobethechallengeofprovidingtraininginareasthathaveneverbeenpartoftheprogramme.

• Fourth,youneedthecouragetolaunchanexperiencewithoutbeingafraidofpossiblefailure.Youhavetoacceptfailuresifyouwanttoprogress.Alldiscoveriesandimportantinnovationshavebeenthefinalpointofalongsequenceoftrialanderror.

• Fifth,bereadytoembracecreativity,topractiseitandtofindnewideasandalternatives.




Your own standard ideas and stereotypes are the main obstacle to innovation

• Observeyoursurroundingsactively.Thiswillmakeyoudiscover“new”needsandopportunities.

• Thisalsorequiresconsciouslybreakingoutofnormativethinkingandsocialtaboos.

• Analyseroutineprocedureandroutinethinkingandlookfordiffer-entways.

• Developfluidityofthinkingandthetastefordiscovery.

Often when you want to embark on new paths, the fear of risk will pop up

• Resistthefearandlookatitasachallenge.Misadventuresaregoodopportunitiestolearnfrom.

• Acreativespiritdoesn’tknowtheword“failure”.Toacreativeper-son,whatyoumaycallfailurejustmeansonemoresteptowardstherealisationofhisideas.

• Repeatittoyourselfeverytime:whatimpressesthewholeworldtoday,wastrialanderroryesterday.

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The lack of flexibility: when management doesn’t have any free-dom of actionAtatrainingcentre,noinnovationwillbepossibleifthereisn’tacertainroomformanoeuvringoralittleindependencethatallowsforreflectionandtryingthingsout.

• Youhavetoreservesomeroom,sometime,somefewresourcesinordertobeabletoexperimentwiththings,ideasoractivities.Makesurethattheyarecompatiblewiththegeneralactionasawhole.

• Ifyouhavesomenewideas,negotiatethemwiththeotherpartiesinvolved.Justifyyourprojectandwhatyouwanttotrytoachieve.

• Startwithwhathasthebestchanceofsucceeding,sothattheotherideasmightnotbeblocked.

Very rigid planning and budgets that re-quire straightforward action, followed by a too narrow vision of how to use resources

• It’sbestifthereisabudgetaryitemintheprogrammeortheactionplanthatallowsforresearchandacertaindegreeofexperimentationwithregardstotraining,thecraftssectororthemarket.

• Dedicateaminimumoftimetoreflectaboutwhatis“usuallydone”andwhatcouldbedoneinadifferentway.

Three examples of innovation in the training programme of CAPA

1 Guitar making – an unusual but really innovative course

TheideaforthistrainingbranchoccurredtothedirectorofCAPAwhenhemetamanwhowasmakingguitarsafterhavingdiscoveredbyhimselfhowaguitarworks.Thisparticulartalenthadremainedsome-howhiddenbecausetheinventorwasneitherabletoproducealargenumberofguitarsnordidhehavetheideaoftrainingotherpeopletodothis.ThedirectorofCAPAagreedwithhimthattherewouldbeaspaceatCAPAwherehecouldmaketheguitarsandteachotherstodoit,sothatthiswonderfultalentwouldn’tgetlost.Assoonasthetrainingcoursestarted,youngmencametoapplyforit.AsecondtrainerwasfoundandtodayCAPAiswellknownforthisinnovativecourseandforbeingasmallproducerofguitars.

2 Training in navigation: nobody might have seen a training centre that offers a “strange” special-ity like this, but the impact of it is far-reaching

Inthepast,everybodyinKivuknewaboutthedangersofshippingonAfricanlakes.ThereweremanyshippingaccidentsonLakeKivu,peoplediedandcommercialgoodswerelost.Allthisduetothefactthatthepeopleworkingontheshipsandboatswerenotqualified.ThedirectorofCAPA,whohadbeenlivingnearLakeKivuwherehewasabletoobservetheboatsandshipsonthelakeeachday,startedto

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askhimselfwherethesepeopleworkingontheboatsweretrained.Insomeconversationswithcaptainsandwiththeportauthoritiesitturnedoutthatmostofthemarinepersonnelhadbeentrainedonthejob.CAPAwantedthentostarttrainingpeopleinshippinginordertocontributetosafernavigationsotosavelivesandgoods.Thiswasdoneincollaborationwiththeshipoperators’associationandtherespectiveauthorities.Thefirstmoduleswerequiteasuccessandsincethen,thetraininghasbeenbuiltupandin-tensified,andtheshippingpersonnelarerequestingitaswellasthepopulationandeventhegovernment.Furthertrainingofmarinershasbecomeaspecialityandanoriginalvocationaltrainingcourse.TheimpactofthistrainingcanbeevidencedbythedecreasingrateofaccidentsontheLakeKivu.

3 Selling Doesn’t everybody know how to do that?

InourcitiesintheeastofR.D.Congo,commerceiswhatabout60%ofthepopulationareoccupiedwith.Therearethousandsofsalespeopleworkinginshops,supermarketsorotherplaces.Theyoftengetintotrou-blewhengoodsormoneyaremissing.Theyhaveneverbeentrainedbyanybody.Theyjusthavetodotheirjobwithoutknowinganythingaboutsales,particularlywithregardstothefactthatnowadaysalltransactionsaredoneelectronically.Sellingisconsideredassomethinganybodycando.However,inWesterncountriesthereisvocationaltrainingforsalespeople,evenindifferentbranches.ThisiswhyCAPAwantstolaunchmodularvocationaltrainingandupgradingforsalespeople.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of • Don’tintroduceanewproductoranewservicewithouthavingtestedit.• Youshouldn’tbeafraidofmisadventureandfailure.Trustintheprocessoftrialanderror.• Don’trejecttheideasofyourstaff.• Don’tfollowroutinetoomuch.

What facilitates success• Availability,dialogueandlisteningtoallsortsofpeople.• Developthecapacityforobservationandcuriosity.• Trytoreflecteachdayonwhatyouaredoing.• Consider“difference”asavalue.

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Enrolmentofcandidatesandvocationalcounsellingofapprentices

Enrolment of candidates and vocational counselling of apprentices

Current issues

Everybodyknowsthatthequalityofatrainingprogramme,theequipmentandthecompetenciesofthetrainersarekeyelementsforthesuccessofanykindofvocationaltraining.Itis,however,surprisingthatquitefewdirectorsormanagersoftrainingcentresareawareofthefactthatsuccessalsodependslargelyonwhoyoutakein.Manytrainingcentresconsiderenrolmentasapurelyadministrativeact.Thus,theproceduresmainlyfollowcriteriathatdon’thavemuchtodowiththepeoplewhoapply:somecentresenroleverybody,intheorderthattheapplicationsarrivein,otherstakeinthosewhoareabletopaythetrainingfeesandthethirdtypeonlyacceptthosewhopassedatestthattoooftenjustchecksacademicknowledge.Onlyatveryfewcentreshowever,doesaninterviewtakeplacewiththeaimoffindingoutthecandidate’smotivation.Thisismainlyduetothefactthattoooften,trainingcentresconsiderthemselvesasschools,similartothoseprovidinggeneraleducation–andschoolsdon’taskformotivation.Toooften,theydon’tseeadifferencebetweengeneraleducationandvocationaltraining.However,thereisasignificantdifference:whilegeneraleducationis(andhastobe)foreverybody,vocationaltrainingshouldbeforthosewhohavetalentandinter-est,whoreallyliketolearnatradeandwhowanttopractisethistradelateron.

The specific challenge in enrolling applicants

Wecouldsaythatthespecificchallengewithregardstoenrolmentistoaccommodatethecandidates.Ac-commodatingtheapplicantsmeanslisteningtothem,knowingwhathasmadethemapplyforthetradetheyhavechosen,andcounsellingandguidingthemintheirchoiceifnecessary.Then,ifitseemsmorelikelythattheywouldendupinself-employmentthaninajob,itwouldbeneces-sarytocheckiftheapplicanthastheminimumcharacteristicsthatarerequiredforself-employmenttobesuccessful.

What we are frequently asked about enrolment

(1) Who do you take in for training?Firstofall:CAPAisaccessibletoeverybody.Ourpedagogicapproachesallowallcategoriesofpeopletoap-plyfortrainingiftheyshowthemotivationforit.Thismeansthatweenrolallthosewhoshowarealinterestinvocationaltrainingandwhocanconvinceusthattheywillthenusetheskillthey’velearntintheirwork.

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(2) What criteria do you apply in enrolment?Wedon’thaveanyformalrequirementsandthecriteriaforintakearenotexclusive,asourtrainingsystemisveryflexibleandthepedagogicapproachesallowustoadaptthetrainingtoallkindsofpeople.Nevertheless,atCAPAweselectaccordingtotwoimportantcriteria:

- themotivationofthecandidatetolearnatradeandhisorherdetermination- hisorherideasandplanninghowthefuturetrainingwillbeused.

Thewillingnesstopaythefeeforthiskindoftrainingisself-evidentanditisasortofindicatorofthemotivation.

(3) CAPA belongs to a church, so doesn’t that mean that you prefer to take in members of the Bap-tist Church?

Vocationaltraininghasnothingtodowithreligion.CAPA’sactivityisdevelopmentwork.Thereligiousdenominationofcandidatesisofnoimportancetous.Ifyoulookatourstatistics,you’llfindthat98%ofourtraineesaren’tBaptists.Itistrue,however,thateverynowandthenmembersofourchurchtrytoobtaininfluenceoverwhoweshouldtakein,drivenbytheintentionofplacingtheircandidatesinCAPA.However,theywon’tsucceed,asCAPA’smanagementhasclearvisionandcleardeterminationwithregardstothisissue.

(4) How does the enrolment procedure work? Firstofall,wedon’tfollowtheroutineofschoolswhereenrolmentisdoneonceayearataspecificperiod.AtCAPA,enrolmentisanongoingproceduredependingonthecoursesandtrainingmodulesthatareor-ganisedandoffered.WehaveaspecialdepartmentatCAPAthatisinchargeofenrolmentandvocationalcounselling.Weneverenrolcandidatesthroughthirdpersons(suchasparents,guardiansorpeoplerecommendingsome-body),andweonlydealdirectlyandpersonallywiththecandidate.WetakeacandidateonatourofCAPA,showingthemallthedifferentoptionsoftrainingbranchesandweansweralltheirquestions.Thus,thecandi-datesgettodecidewhatfitsthembestandtheywillalsotelluswhattheyintendtousethetrainingforwhenleavingCAPAinthefuture.

(5) Do you counsel the candidates to guide them in their choice? If yes, what are the criteria in this procedure?

AswehavevarioustrainingoptionsatCAPA,wethinkthatvocationalguidanceisamust.Inthisproce-durewetrustourpedagogicaldepartment,astheylistentothecandidatesandtrytoseewhatcouldbethebestforthosewhoaren’tsureandwhodon’tknowwhatwouldbethebestforthemselves.Thisisparticularlyimportantbecauseofaphenomenonthatweareobserving:quiteoftenyoungpeoplemake“fancychoices”,andapplyfortrendytrainingcourses.Theyareguidedbytradesthattheyconsiderattractiveortheywanttodowhattheirfriendsaredoing,eveniftherearen’tgoodperspectivesinthesetrades.It’sobviousthatthemarketgetssaturatedquicklywhentoomanypeoplegointothesameeconom-icactivity.Wethenhavetheproblemthatthissocalled“socialdemand”doesn’tmeetthemarketdemand.

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(6) Don’t you ever encounter the problem that you don’t have enough candidates for a training course?

Wedo.Thishappenswhenweoffercoursesthataren’t“attractive”enoughfortheyoungpeople,evenifthereisamarketdemandforthesetrades.Generally,traininginstitutionslackcandidateswhentheyeitheroffercoursesthatdon’tappear“fancy”enoughtoyoungpeopleorwhentheyoffertrainingfortradesthatpeopledon’tconsiderprofitable.Normallythe“attractiveness”factoristheonethatguidesyoungpeople.Thisiswhymanytrainingcentreshaveaproblemwithmasonrytraining,asthistradeisnotconsideredattractiveeventhoughthereisarealdemandforitinthemarketanditalsopays.AtCAPAwehaveacertainproblemgettingcandidatesforbarbertraining.Sometimes,inquiteexceptionalcases,youmightalsohaveaproblemfindingcandidatesifyourtrainingcourseasksforaparticularaffinityortalent,likeourtraininginguitarmaking,forexample.Asageneralrule,permanentobservationofthemarketandconsiderationoftheneedsofconsumersshoulddirecttheprovisionofvocationaltraining.Ifatradeisreallyneededandindemandandyoustillaren’tget-tingenoughcandidatesforit,thenyouhavetodevelopparticularstrategiesforthis..

The enrolment procedure

Theenrolmentproceduresare:registrationandanalysisofcandidature,vocationalcounsellingandfor-malisationofenrolment.

Registration and analysis of candidatesAllcandidatesareregisteredwiththeirname,theirschoollevelandtheirtrainingwishes.Thereisacom-mitteethatthenstudiesthecandidates’differentchoices.Theirwishesarecomparedtofutureprofessionalpossibilitiesaccordingtotheprospectiveneedsofenterprisesand/ortothedemandforproductsandserv-icesinthelocalmarket.Wheneverweestablishthatthesocio-professionalinsertionofthecandidateswillnotbeassuredorwhenwenoticethatthecandidateisnotsureofhisorherchoice,wesuggestvocationalcounselling.Candidateswithalowschoolinglevelareacceptedaccordingtothepossibilitiesandrequirementsofthecourseandthefuturepracticeofthetrade.Illiteratecandidatesareguidedtowardstrainingonthejob.

Vocational counselling of the candidatesThecandidatesareorientedorre-orientedaftertheyhavebeencarefullylistenedto.Wetrytolearnthemostimportantfactsabouthisorherbackgroundandtofindoutthereasonsforhisorhervocationalchoice.Afterthatwegivethematourofallthedifferenttrainingcoursesthatweoffer.Thecandidateobservesandasksquestions,whichweanswer.Butwealsoleavethemsometimeinordertotalktotraineesoratrainer.Finally,thecandidatewillhavedecidedaboutthetrainingandwillexplaintheirprofessionalobjectivesforthefuture.Atthisstage,wewillmeettheparents,theguardianorthesponsorofthecandidateinordertohaveassurancethatthecandidatewillgetsupportfortheirvocationalchoice.

Threecriteriaareappliedinvocationalcounselling:• Natural abilities of the candidate

Thisreferstophysical,mentalandintellectualrequirementsofthe(future)trade.Weusesomeshortpsycho-logicalandphysicaltestsforthat.

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• The needs of the candidate compared to the duration of the trainingTherearesometargetgroupsthatareinabighurrytolearnacrafttoassuretheirsurvival.Forthem,alltrainingthattakestoomuchtimewon’tbetherightsolution.Thismeansthatdemandingtrainingcourseswithlongerdurationarenotadvisableforthem.

• The perspectives for professional practice after trainingWhenwedeterminethatthecandidatewillnotbeabletopractisethetrade,forpersonaloreconomicreasons,were-orientthem.

The formalisation of the enrolmentThewholeprocedureisconcludedbymeansofatripartitecontract.Thecandidatereceivesourstand-ardisedcontractformthatthecandidateandhisorherparentsorguardianwillread,completeandsigntogetherwiththemanagerofthepedagogicdepartment.Theclausesofthiscontractconcern,inparticular,thedurationofthetraining,thetrainingfeesandthecommitmentoftheparentsortheguardiantosupporttheprofessionalinsertionoftheyoungpersonaftertraining(modelforacontract:seeappendix).Inthiscontract,therolesofeachofthepartiesarespecifiedanditcommitseverybodytoobservingtheobligationsitplacesonthem.Thefollow-upmechanismsforthistripartiteagreementaredefinedanditalsofixestherespectivepenaltiesincaseofnon-fulfilment.




Parents, guardians or other sponsors may dictate the training and the future trade to the young person and the choice might not be the good one as it might be incompatible with the abilities or wishes of the young person

• Itshouldbetheyoungpersonhimselforherselfwhocomestoenrol.

• Whentheycometogetherwiththeparents,taketheyoungpersonasideandlistentothemwhileyou’realonewiththem.Listentotheirwishesandtheirprofessionaldreamsandcheckitagainsttheirabilitiesandnaturallimitations.

• Showthecandidatethevariousoptionsandthedifferentalternativessothattheycanmaketheirchoice.

• Thetrainingcentremusttakevocationalcounsellingseriouslyandcarryoutarealcoachingprocess,notjustregistercandidatesauto-matically.

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Young people may be stubborn on their choice while following their buddies and what is “in” without consid-ering the constraints of a saturated market

• Listenindividuallytothecandidateinordertoknowhowtheyjus-tifythechoice.

• Askthecandidatetodescribethefuturepracticeofthetradeastheyvisualiseit.Acknowledgetheparentsortheguardianastheyarein-volvedpartiesandimportantactorsforthefuturesocio-professionalinsertionoftheyoungperson.

• Discussthechallengesofthiskindofemploymentaftertraining.Showtherisksofwastedtimeandmoneytothecandidate(forthemaswellasforthecentre)ifthetrainingdoesnotleadtoaprofitableemploymentsituation.

• Showthealternativessothecandidatecanmakeanotherchoice.

People who ask for training courses that the centre doesn’t offer

• Thetrainingcentreshouldhaveadatabaseofothertrainingcentresintheregionandshouldknowwhichtrainingcentreisofferingwhatkindoftraining.

• Thecandidatemaybesenttootherinstitutionsfortheirchoiceofcourse.

When young people want to be trained but cannot offer any assur-ance that they will use this training for further employment or self-employment

• Questionthecandidateabouttheirperspectivesforthefutureaftertraining.Makeitclearthattrainingwithoutrealperspectivesforpractisingthetradeafterwardsmeanslosingtimeandmoney.

• Ifthecandidatecannotpresentanyassurancethattheywillpractisethetradeinfutureandtheyhaven’tgotanyseriousideaaboutit,thecentreshouldsuggestthechoiceofanothertradethatwouldallowthecandidatetopractiseitwhilehavinglowerrequirements.

• Ifthecandidatedoesn’tshowanyinterestwithregardstotheirfu-tureprofessionalsituation,thecentremightdecidenottoacceptthemfortraining.

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Visions and stereotypes that determine the choice of a trade for good or for bad

1) Young people being victims of their father’s dictates

Ithappensquiteoftenthatyoungpeoplegetintothewrongtradeorprofessionbecausesomebodyelsedecidesinsteadofthem.Thus,parentsorguardiansmakethechoiceinplaceoftheyoungpersonanditoftenhappensthatthischoicedoesn’tcorrespondtothewishesortheabilitiesofthisyoungperson.Thishasanegativeeffectontheperformanceoftheyoungpersonduringthetrainingandafterwardswhenheorsheissupposedtopractisethetrade.Everythingthatyoudowithoutinvolvingthepersonconcerned,willworkagainstthatperson.ThiswasthecasewithJoseph.Hisparentswantedhimtobecomeacarmechanic,buthisdreamwastostudyatuniversity.HisparentssucceededinputtingpressureonhimandCAPAacceptedtheyoungmanforthetraining.Butthen,duringthetrainingheshowedsymptomsofwhatweinterpretedastraumatisa-tion.Weknowthatpeoplewhohavebeentraumatisedareverysilentandthattheydon’tshowanyinterestinthetrainingandanyjoyinlife.ThiswasexactlywhatweobservedinJoseph.Oneofthetrainerswhohadbeendealingwithtraumatisedtrainees(beinginaregionofcrisisandwar,weoftenhavethissortoftargetgroup)finallyaddressedJosephfivemonthslater.Itwasthenwhentheyoungmandeclaredthathehadneverchosenthistradeandthathewouldneverpractiseit.ThedirectorofCAPAtalkedtotheparents,togetherwiththeyoungman,andwesuggestedstoppinghistraining.Josephthenstartedattendinghighschoolwherehewantedtobe.Wewouldliketohighlightherethatwearenormallyveryhappywhenparentssupportthetrainingforcraftsfortheirchildrenasthecraftssectorisgenerallybecominglessattractive.However,ifitgoestotallyagainstthewishesoftheyoungperson,itwouldbeveryuselessintheend.

2) A young woman dreams of being a car mechanic while she’s supposed to learn dress-making

MissFlorencecametoustogetherwithhermother,whowantedhertobecomeadressmaker.Infrontofthecommitteeofenrolmentandhermother,MissFlorenceagreedtolearndressmaking.Twoweekslater,however,sherevealedtoatrainerthatsheonlyhadaccepteditbecauseshewantedtopleasehermother,whowasinadifficultpersonalsituationhavinglostherhusband.ThetrainertookherbacktothecommitteewhereMissFlorencedeclaredthatinrealityshewantedtobe-comeacarmechanic.Thiswasherdream.Weacceptedherintothiscourseandshecompletedthetwoyears’training.Tothebigsurpriseofeverybody,sheexcelled,beingthetopstudentbothyears,intheoryandinpracticalexercises.Alltheclientscomingtoourgaragewereverysatisfiedwithherworkandfoundhertobeanexcellentmechanic.ShereceivedmanyoffersofemploymentandwasfinallyemployedbyMONUC(theUnitedNationsOrganisationStabilisationMissionintheDemocraticRepublicoftheCongo).Shenowworksthereasthedeputyheadmechanicoftheirgarage.

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3) Deaf-mute and quite competent as a car mechanic

AtCAPAwealsowelcomevulnerableandmarginalisedpeople.Normally,whendeaf-mutepeoplecametoenrol,theyalwayschosecarpentryormasonry.Oneday,how-ever,oneofthemwantedtolearncarmechanics.Thistrainingmandatorilyrequiresclassesintheory.Thustheenrolmentcommitteeaswellashisguardianwereverydoubtfulandtheydidn’tbelievethathecouldbecomeagoodcarmechanicunderthiscondition.However,finallyweagreedtotryoutthisexperienceandweputhiminonthejobtraining.Heturnedouttobeagoodcarmechanic.Heworkshard,isnevertired,doesn’tforgetanythingandisveryhonestwiththeclients.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of in the process of enrolment Intheprocessofenrolmentyoushouldavoid:• enrollingcandidateswhohavebeenforcedintothetrainingbytheirparentsorguardians• registeringpeoplewithoutcheckingifthereisstillarelevantmarketdemandandwithoutknowing

ifthecandidatehasclearvisionoftheirprofessionalfuture,otherwisetheunemploymentofyourgraduatesandthewasteofyourresourceswillturnouttobeanewchallengeforyou.

What facilitates success Successwillbetheresultofvariousmeasuresandapproaches:• thechoiceofthecandidatehimself without“oppressiveguidance”bythirdpersons• activelisteningtothecandidatesoastobeabletomatchhisbackground,hisambitionsandhisabili-

tieswiththechoicethathehasmade• havingavarietyoftrainingbranches/coursessothatpeoplecanchoose• assistingthecandidateinhischoicebygivingthemaximumofinformationtohim• beingflexibleandacceptingthatthecandidatemightfirstchoosethewrongtypeoftrainingandto

helphimorhertomakeanotherchoiceafterwards• raisingawarenessabouttheissueof“post-training”showingthatthetrainingshouldleadtoasolid

perspectiveforemploymentorself-employment• involvingtheparents,theguardianorthesponsorinthewholeprocessofenrolment(butnotinthe

choiceofthetraining!),trainingandprofessionalinsertion

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Thetrainingprogramme

The training programme

Current issues

Normallyitisn’taproblemfortrainingcentreswithformalstatustoknowwhatkindoftrainingprogrammeshouldbeused:theyusuallyfollow(orhavetoadopt)thecurriculumthattheMinistryhasdesigned.Theymightonlyhavetofindtheirownsolutionsincaseofacompletelynewtrainingcourse,iftheMinistrydoesn’thaveanymodel.Non-formaltraininginstitutionsarefreetousetheofficialcurriculumandtheyalsomightoptfortheirownone.It’sjusteasiertofollowtheofficialprogramme,asthisdoesn’trequireanyeffort.However,toooften,officialprogrammesdon’tmatchtheneedsofthemarketandtherealitiesoftheworkingworld.InmanyAfricancountries,publictrainingprogrammestendtobedesignedonthebasisofarather“academic”under-standing.Itistruethatinnumerouscountries,therespectiveMinistriesintendtoreformvocationaltrainingandquiteprogressivemodelsofvocationaltrainingaredesigned,suchasamodularconcept,dualsystemorcompetencybasedtraining.Often,however,theseprogressiveconceptionsaren’timplemented:theyremainatapoliticallevelbasedonpoliticalwillbutthetraininginstitutionsdon’tknowhowtotransformtheseideasintooperationalreality.Inothercases,conceptsmightevenbedetailedandmorespecificbutthetrainersinthecentresandschoolshaven’tbeentrainedandqualifiedwithregardstothesenewapproaches.

What is the specific challenge with regards to the training programme?

Aswehavealreadyseeninthepreviouschapters,theanswerherewillprobablyalsobethemostobviousone:youmightsaythatit’svitaltoknowwheretofindagoodprogrammeorthatyouwillneedresourcesforthepracticalexercisesanyway.Butinrealityandfirstofall,therealchallengesareelsewhere.Theyarecalled“courage”and“commit-ment”.Thesetwotermscanbederivedfromwhathasbeensaidintheintroductiontothischapter.IfyouareunderaMinistrythatisreallyareformer,thenyourcommitmentwillbeneededinordertomakere-formscometrue.However,ifyourMinistryhaselaboratedacurriculumthatisnotadaptedtotheneedsofthetargetgrouportothedemandfromthemarket,thenyouwillhavetobecourageousandtostruggleforwhatisreallyneeded,whatisreallyuseful.Thenyouwillhavetocomplementormodifythiscurriculumandsometimesyoumightevenbechallengedtomakeobjections.Inanutshell,thechallengeofatrainingprogrammeistoknowateachmomentwhatisreallyuseful–fortheeconomy,thetrainees,theconsumersandthecountry–andtoorientthetrainingaccordingtorealneedsanditsspecificutility.

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What we are frequently asked about our training programme

(1) What kind of training programme do you use at CAPA? Thetrainingprogrammethatweuseisacombinationofthecurriculathatexist,adaptedtoourneeds.Wecallit“trainingprogrammeofCAPA”anditisderivedfromofficialcurriculaaswellasfromwhatisrecommendedbyUNESCO.Asweareanon-formaltrainingcentre,wearefreetodeviseourprogrammeinadynamicwayandadaptittothecontext,thetargetgroupsandtheparticularobjectivesofeachtrade.Onemaincharacteristicofourprogrammemightbethatitcomprisesalargernumberofpracticalexercisesandmoretimeforprac-tice,asthisisacoreelementforgoodprofessionaltraining.

(2) Given that you also have modular courses: who designs the modules?ThetrainingcoursesatCAPAaremainlymodularbecauseweabsolutelyapplytraining by objective.Themodulesaredevisedbytheteamsofourtrainerswhocometogetheraccordingtothesectororbranchandunderthecoordinationofthepedagogicdepartment.Themodulesaredesignedaccordingtotherequirements:thedurationofthetraining,specificobjectivesthathavetobereached,thenatureofthetargetgroupandtheexperienceofthepractitionersineachbranch.WebasethedesignontheofficialcurriculaoftheMinistryandofUNESCOaswellasonotherprofessionalpublications.

(3) If you decide to start a new training branch or a training course for a trade that is not common, which training programme do you then develop?

Ittakesalongtimetodesigntrainingprogrammesforalltradesthataren’tcommonlytaughtbytraininginstitutions.Wetrytofinddocumentsaboutit,doresearchoninternetanddiscussitwithpeoplewhomayalreadyhaveorganisedtrainingcoursesinthespecificfield.Ifwedon’tfindanythingandiftherearen’tanyexperiencesinthespecificfield,thetrainersdesigntheprogrammebythemselvesonbasisoftheirprofessionalknowledgeandpracticalinspiration.

(4) What is the duration of training at CAPA?Thedurationvariesaccordingtotheneedsorobjectivesofthetargetgroup,takingintoconsiderationtherequirementsofthetradethatheorshehaschosen.Generally,wehavetrainingcoursesof3,6,12and24months.Thereisonlyonetypeoftrainingwithlongduration,whichisthecompletemarinetraining(4years).

(5) How much practical work is there in your training programme and courses?Theratiobetweentheoryandpracticalexercisesdiffersaccordingtothetradeandtothetargetgroup.Gener-ally,CAPAappliestheratiosof30%theoryand70%practice.Forpeoplewhowanttolearnatradequicklyandwhoaretrainedonthejob,95%oftheircourseispractical.Wheneverwehavetrainingprogrammesforcandidateswhomweconsiderfuturetrainers,thetheorycomponentismoresubstantial.Forinternshipbeforecertification,whenwegetthereportsofinternshipbythetraineeandthementor,wesometimeshavetoaddtheoryorpracticalexercisesinordertocompletethefuturegraduate’scompeten-cies.

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(6) Are short courses really valuable?Wethinktheyare,particularlyiftheymeettheneedsofthetargetgroupsandtheobjectivesofthetrain-ing.Whatismostimportantforshortcoursesis:practice.Practicalexercisesmustbewelldevisedsothatthetraineeisabletoproducequality.Weshouldnotforgetthatinacontextofextremepovertytherearetargetgroupswhoneedtolearnatradequicklyinordertoassuresurvival.Thesearetrainingcoursesthathavetobeconsideredas‘quickimpact’projects.Whenweobservetrainingoflongdurationaccurately,itcanbeseenthatthereissometimesahighrateofabandonmentforthisreason.Anotherreasonforabandonmentisthattherearecandidateswhowanttolearnatradebutwhoareonlyinterestedinpracticalexercises,sowhentrainingisoverloadedwithgeneralandratheracademicmatters,theyalsoabandonit.So,forthesekindsoftargetgroupsyoucan“clean”thecurriculumbyremovingallthegeneralteachingmaterialthattheyneitherwantnorneedandinthisway,allowthemtoquicklylearntheessentials.

(7) What about internship – do you organise internships for the trainees in enterprises or local work-shops?

Internshipinaworkshopintownisahighvalueelementforthefutureemploymentorself-employmentofthetraineesasitallowsthemtogettoknowthereal worldofwork.Comparedtowhatotherinstitutionsdo,wedon’torganiseinternshipaftercertificationbutbeforetheendofthetraining.Currently,weor-ganiseseveralinternshipopportunitiesallalongthetraining,aseffectiveinsertionintotheworldofworkdependssomuchonthisexperience.AtCAPA,internshipisseenasabsolutelyvitalandthefeedbackofthementorfromtheinternshipisaccordinglyconsideredbythejuryatcertification.

(8) While considering the high number of trainees that CAPA has as well as some of the rather un-common branches: do you always find internship opportunities for all your trainees?

Inanycase,internshipisamust.AtCAPA,weareabletofindinternshipsforeverybodybecausewehaveahighnumberofformergraduateswhonowhaveprivateworkshopsandwhotakeourtraineesinforinternships.Inothercases,weareabletonegotiatewithenterprisesorworkshopsintownthattheytakeintraineesforinternshiponarotationsystem.Asfortheuncommonbranches,therearen’tanypossibili-tiesforinternshipoutsideofCAPA.Thusweputthetraineesintoourownproductionunits,asitwasourconcerntohaveownproductionandinternshippossibilitiesintheseuncommonareas.

(9) You offer training opportunities to the apprentices of local workshops in town but you also have ‘on-the-job training’ in CAPA that is similar to apprenticeship Why do you have this and what is the training programme for it?

Inourmind,thetrainingofapprenticesinwhatweusetocall“pedagogicworkshops”(partofCAPA’sproductionunits)isanimportantactivityforanon-formaltrainingcentre.Usually,theapprenticeslearningonthejobareilliteratepeoplelookingfortheopportunitytolearnatrade.Thetrainingprogrammeforthemisacompressedformofpracticalexercisesbyobjective,thismeansthattheyaretrainedthroughthefabricationofitemsorthroughservicesrendered.Wejustaddethicsandapar-ticularformofliteracyteaching.

(10) Doesn’t the production interfere with the training objective?Weagree:combiningtrainingandproductionisarealchallengeforanytraininginstitution.However,bothac-tivitiesareimportantforatrainingcentre:ithastosucceedintrainingandithasalsotosucceedasmuchaspos-sibleinself-financing.Atthesametime,trainingandproductionarecomplementarybecausevocationaltrainingistrainingforwork(forfutureemployment).Thus,itisveryusefulforgraduatestohavebeentrainedinrealactivities.Trainingcentresmustthereforemakeaneffortinordertocombinebothactivitiesoptimally.

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What are the approaches, procedures and methods for creating a training programme at CAPA?

Ourtrainingprogrammesarecreatedasfollows:

• The first phaseismarkedbytheresearchofinformationaboutexistingprofessionalpublicationsonvocationaltraining(likefromgovernment,UNESCO,ILO,developmentcooperationorothertrainingcentres).- Ifwedon’tfindanything,webringthetrainersandpractitionersfromoutsidetogethertolearn

howtheydothetraining,thenweformalisethattothemodules.- Whenitcomestotheelaborationofthemodules,thisteamalsoensuresthatpracticeremainsan

importantpartofthetraining,usuallyaround70%fortheregulartrainingandabout95%foronthejobtraining.

- Thenwegocarefullythroughallthemore“academic”andgeneralmattersandselectwhatisre-allyusefulasacomplementtovocationaltrainingandwhatwecanleaveout.

- Thetheoryforthetrade(technology)iscomplementedwithafewtopicssuchasethic,manage-mentofsmallenterprisesorjobapplications.

• The next phaseconcernsinternship.Therewedefinetheinternshiplocations,theobjectives,thedura-tionsandthetermsofcollaborationwiththementorswhomonitorthetraineesduringtheinternship.Whenwefirstdevisethemodules,theyareconsideredasinitial documentsthatwillundergomodi-ficationsandamendmentsasidentifiedbythedepartmentresponsibleformonitoringandevaluation,accordingtotheresultsofthetraining.

• The last phaseinvolvesthedesignofthepracticalandtheoreticaltestsaccordingtotherespectivemodules.Thequestionnaireissuggestedtothejurybeforecertification.- Monitoringandevaluationofthetrainingisdoneacrossalltheaspects,observingthetheoretical

andpracticaltrainingaccordingtothemodulesaswellastheinternshipandthefeedbackgivenbythementorstutoringtheinternship.

- Thefeedbackofthementorsduringtheinternshipleadsoftentomodificationsofthetrainingpro-gramme,asthefeedbackhighlightsthedeficitsofourtraining.Wethenorganisesupplementarytheoreticalorpracticaltrainingforthetraineesbeforethecertification.

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No models, material or publications may be available for certain training branches or courses

Youwillalwaysencoun-terthisproblemwhenyouofferacoursethatdoesn’tcorrespondtoclassicvocationaltrain-ingsectors.

• Theonlysolutionissortof‘do-it-yourself’.Thetrainersofthecen-treshouldsittogetherwithsomepractitionersdoingthejobintown(thefactthattrainingcentresdon’toffertrainingforcertaintradesdoesn’tmeanthatthereisn’tanybodydoingit…)andtheyshouldtrytodefinetheproceduresoflearningthistrade.Craftspeopleintowndohavetheirsystemofteachingatrade.Thisstepbystepprocedurehastobewrittendownandwillbethebasisforthefuturedesignofatrainingprogramme.

Trainers may not be strong in pedagogy even if they are very good practitioners

Craftspeopleandotherpractitionersareverygoodtrainingstaffforavocationaltrainingcentreastheyknowthetradebest.However,theyaremostlyweakinpedagogy.

• AtrainingcentreshouldalwayshaveaToT-system,thatis:furthertrainingoftrainersaspartofitsinstitutionalprogramme.Themainsubjectsofthisfurthertrainingfortrainerswhoarepractitionersare:“didacticsofvocationaltrainingandandragogy”.

• Thetrainersshouldadapttotheserequirements.Iftheydonotadapt,theyshouldbetransferredtoanotheractivitywithinthecentre(i.e.pro-ductionunit).They shouldn’t continueas trainerswithin the trainingprogrammeiftheyarenotabletoteachreasonably.

For many trainers, breaking down a cur-riculum into modules isn’t an easy task as it requires the ability to synthesise

• Forthispurpose,youmusthaveateamoftrainerswhohavebeenin-structedinitandwhoareworkingunderthesupervisionofthepeda-gogicdirector.

• Integratespecificfurthertrainingintotheportfoliooftheinstitutionalactivities.

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The State is the first and last responsible entity for all questions related to vocational training This has to be taken into account whenever somebody wants to “touch” (modify) official pro-grammes

• Ifyouareaformaltrainingcentre,youmaynothavemanypossibili-tiestomodifyofficialcurricula.However,smallchangesoradapta-tionscanbeintroducedstepbystep.Themostimportantthingisthatthegraduatessucceedwellatthefinaltestsforcertification.

• WeatCAPAhavedeliberatelychosentobeanon-formalcentresoastohaveandtomaintainacertaindegreeoffreedomandtheopportu-nitytoexperiencedifferentandnewthings.Thuswehavebeenabletoevolvewellandwithlessproblemsfromstateauthorities.

• Ourexperienceprovesthatit’spossibletobecomeamodelevenifyoudon’tfollowalltheofficialproceduresandprogrammes.CAPAiscurrentlyrecommendedbytheresponsiblestateauthoritieswithre-gardstoourresults,effectsandimpactoftraining.Ourgraduatesareamongthebestoneswhenitcomestothejuriesthatweco-organisetogetherwiththeState.

Three examples of the development of a training programme

1) How to develop modules or a training programme when there is no documentation

Ifthereisnodocumentationaboutatradethatwewanttotrainfor,welookforpractitionersinthefield.Theytellushowtheyproceeduntiltheygettheproductortheresult.Thisinformationisconsideredasthebasisforafutureprogrammethatwillbecompletedstepbystep.Thisisexactlyhowwehadtoproceedwhenwestartedwiththetrainingforguitarmaking.Wecouldn’tfindanydocumentationaboutguitarmaking.Thus,wegatheredthetwopractitionerswhohadneverbeenofficiallytrainedsomewhere.Theyexplainedushowtheyproceedandtoday,onthisbasis,wetrainyoungmenwithquitegoodresults.Everynowandthenwhenwefollowuponthisactivityandwhenweevaluatetheresultsorwhenwegetafeedbackfromthegraduateswhoaremakingguitars,improvementsaresuggestedandareintegratedintothemodules.Thisishowwewereabletocomposetheveryfirstmodulesforthissectorthatissounusualfortraininginstitutions.

2) Any training centre, how excellent it might be, will always stay behind the reality of the trade as it is practised in the world of work

Internshipisaveryimportantelementforthesuccessoftrainingaswellasforthefutureemploymentofthegraduates.Therefore,thetrainingcentrehastotakepropercareofhowtheinternshipevolvesforeachtrainee,becausethefeedbackaboutinternshiprevealsthedeficitsofthetrainingandthisishowyoucanironoutthesedeficits.Thus,internshipoftraineesinallsectorscanbeconsideredamarvellous“ther-mometer”toassureoptimalresultsatthejuryforcertification.Westronglyrecommendtakinginternshipseriouslyandconsideringitasanexcellentlearningopportunity.Wesaythisonthebasisofourlongstandingexperiencewithinternshipinenterprisesandlocalworkshops.

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Weparticularlylearntthiswhenwestartedtraininginthehotelbusiness.Whilewehadbeenconvincedthatourtrainingprogrammewasgood,thefeedbackfromthehoteliersshowedusthatthereweremanydeficitsinourtrainingcourses.Wetheninvitedthetutorsoftheinternshiptrainingtositdownwithusandtotelluswhatshouldbemodified.Thishasledtoacomprehensivereviewofthewholetrainingprogramme.ThisiswhyatCAPAthedepartmentofmonitoringandevaluationconsidersinternshipasveryimportantfortheimprovementofthetrainingprogramme.

3) If you are really good and if you are determined, you can convince the state authority to sign the certificates of your graduates even if you are a non-formal institution

Itistruethatwe’reanon-formaltrainingcentre.However,wehavealwaysstruggledtogetthestateau-thoritytosignthecertificatesforourgraduatessothatourgraduatescanhavebetterchancesforemploy-ment.Ourstrategyfordealingwiththishasbeentoco-organisethefinaljuryforcertificationwiththeresponsibledepartmentsoftheministry.Before2001,weissuedthecertificatesbyourselves.Thiswasinatimewheretherewereonlyafewtrainingcentresinourregion.Butlateronithappenedthatourgraduatescametoussayingthattheycouldn’tgetcertainkindsofemploymentbecausetheydidn’thaveanofficialcertificate:graduatesfromothertraininginstitutionsshowedofficialcertificatesandgottheemploymenteveniftheymighthavebeenlesscompetentthanours.Inordertoconvincethestateauthoritiesofthequalityofourtraining,weinvitedsomerepresentativesofgovernmentdepartmenttoprovidesomemodulartrainingcoursesatCAPA.Becauseofthis,theyknewbetter‘who’weareandhowwework.Theywereconvincedofthequalityofourtrainingandthustheministryagreedtoofficiallysignourcertificates.Theconditionforthiswasthatthejuryforcertificationbecomposedofexaminersfrombothsides:fromCAPAandfromthegovernmentdepartment.Thisishowwehavedoneitsincethenandthestatealsopresidesovertheofficialceremonyofhandingoverthecertificates.Finally,thisexperiencehasinspiredthestateauthoritiesandnowadaysallprivatecentresintheregionareaskedtoorganisethejuryforcertificationtogetherwiththegovernmentdepartmentinordertoissueofficiallyrecognisedcertificates.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of • Avoidstereotypesandprejudicewithregardstotrainingcapacity,anddon’tsaythatapersonwho

hasn’tbeentoschoolcannottrainothers.• Don’tcopyandpasteexistingcurriculawithoutquestioningthem,butratheradaptthemtothetarget

groupandtothespecificobjectivesofthetraining.• Don’tworkallaloneandseparatelywithoutcommunicatingwithotheractorsinvocationaltraining.

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What facilitates success• Becuriousandcreativeinordertoinnovateandtoevenoffertrainingcoursesthatmightbeunusual

foratrainingcentre.• Organiseteamworkforthedevelopmentofmodulartraining,invitingpractitionersinthefield.• Forthedevelopmentofatrainingprogrammeitisgoodtobesomehow“extroverted”andtohavea

learningattitude.• It’sagoodideatolistentoallthepartiesthatareinvolvedinvocationaltrainingandinthiswayto

steadilyimprovethetrainingprogrammeinordertobecomemoreandmoreexcellent.• Trainthetrainers.• Reflectcontinuallyonyourtrainingsystem.

The duration of training

Current issues

Atanymomentwhenitcomestoreformingvocationaltraining,thedurationoftrainingquicklybe-comesacontroversialsubject.Theargumentsagainstshortertrainingcoursesseemtobeobvious,asmanytraininginstitutionsarelikeschoolsandtheyareusedtoclassicconcepts.Theclassicperceptionisthat“anygoodteaching”requiresaminimumoftime.Thisminimumisfixedto2or3years,some-timeseven4years.Secondly,thestandardconceptisbasedonawell-developedcurriculumthatisquiteoftenverysimilartothenatureofacurriculumusedingeneraleducation.Asitisimpossibletodesigna6-monthcourseinthesamewayasthiskindofcurriculum,thedirectorsandmanagersoftraininginstitutionslikethiscan’tevenimagineshorteningthetrainingtime.Theseinflexibleconvictionsareattheexpenseofvulnerabletargetgroupsastheyhaveneitherthemoneynorthetimetositthrough2or3yearsoftraining.Theconsequenceisthattheyremainexcludedfromvocationaltraining.

What is the specific challenge with regards to the concept of training duration?

Themainchallengeliesintheneedtounderstandthatvocationaltrainingisnotgeneraleducationandthatitshouldbedesignedinadifferentway.Thiswillmakeitunderstoodthatit’spossibletotrainsomebodyinashorttime.Therearetwo“secrets”thatareinherenttotherightunderstandingofshortertraining.Thefirstoneisthateverythingdependsonhowtherelationbetweentheoryandpracticeismanaged.Thesecondoneisrelatedtotheoutputandtodifferentiation.It’sthespecificobjectiveofthetrainingthatde-finesquality,notthegeneraldesignationofatrade:ahelperdoesn’tneedtoknoweverythingthataskilledworkerknowsandaskilledworkerdoesn’tneedtoknoweverythingthatatechnicianknows.

What is the conception of training duration at CAPA?

Inthepast,wehadtrainingofquitelongdurationatCAPA,first4yearsandthen3years.Todaywehavearangeofdifferenttrainingdurations:3,6,12and24months.Thereisonlyonetrainingbranchoflongduration:marinetraininglasts4yearsbutitcanbedoneinseveralsteps.

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Whenthereformofourtrainingsystemstartedin1992,CAPAhadbeendriventochangeitsperceptionandtolistenmorecarefullytowhatthetargetgroupswantandneed.Thisresultedinusquestioningour-selvesandourtrainingsystem.Wefinallyunderstoodthattheneedsandthereforetheobjectivesofthoseaskingfortrainingaredifferentandthattherearemanypeoplewhodon’twantorwhoarenotabletostayinatrainingcentreforlongtime–particularlynotintimesofcrisisandwar.Besidesthis,wealsobegantoseethattherequirementsofthedifferenttradeswerenotthesame.Takingthisintoaccount,togetherwiththeconsiderationofthedifferentneedsofspecifictargetgroups,westartedtodesigntrainingsessionsofvariedduration.Forexample,thetrainingdurationforlocalsoapmaking,forcookingandforbarbersis3months,incom-puterskills,weldingandplumbingitis6monthsandincarmechanicsgrade1,dressmaking,carpentryandmasonryitis12months.Thetrainingincarmechanicsgrade2,hotelbusinessorguitarmakingis24months.Marinetrainingisthelongestonewith4yearswhenitisdonecompletely(therearefourgrades:crewmem-ber,sailor,mate,captain).

Graduatesoftheshortcoursesof3or6monthsjustgetaconfirmationofcoursecompletion;thesecon-firmationsspecifythemodulesandtheobjectivesofthetraining.Forthetrainingbrancheswithadurationof12or24months–likedressmaking,carpentry,carmechanics,computerskills,masonryorhotelbusiness–wegiveaconfirmationofcoursecompletionforeachgradeorforcertainmodules.Thecertificateisgivenwhenthegraduatehascompletedallthemodulesorgradesthatarerequiredfortheofficialcertificate.Thismeansthattraineescangostepbystep,whichmeetstheneedsofcertaintargetgroups.Thecoursesofshortduration(3to6months,maximum1year)areusuallyappliedforbypoorerpeoplewhowanttolearn“something”inordertoquicklyearnsomeincomeforsurvival.

Theshortcoursesareeffectiveevenifthereappearstobelittletime.Thereasonforthisisthatthesecoursesfocusonpracticeandontheessentialsforatrade.Thisiswhatallowspeopletoacquirethenecessarycom-petenciesinlesstimeandithasbeenwellprovenbytheexamjuriesthatweorganisetogetherwiththestateauthorities.Itisthereforeimportanttorememberthatthefocusonpracticalexerciseandontheessentialsforthetradeisthemainandindispensablecharacteristicforasuccessfulshortcourse.Justreducingacurriculum,“am-putating”itsomehowinordertomakeitshorterwillneverleadtoaneffectiveresult.

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There is a prejudi-cial idea that training courses of short dura-tion cannot be of any value

Thisprejudicecanoftenbeencounteredwithtrainers(ordirectors)whoworkinformaltraininginstitutionsorwhohavethemselvesgonethroughtheclassi-caleducationsystem.

Sometimes,theobjec-tionstoshorttrainingmayalsocomefrompar-entswhoareafraidthattheirchildrenmightnotgetthe“proper”trainingifthecourseistooshort.

• Oneshouldconvincethesetrainerstoexperienceshortcoursesbe-forecriticisingthem.

• Thoroughlydiscusstheconsequencesoflong-termtrainingwiththeinvolvedparties–particularlywithconsiderationofvulnerablegroupsandtheirneedtogainaccesstoatrainingsystemthatiscon-venientforthem.

• Formulatespecificobjectivesforthetraining.

• Monitorandevaluatetheshorttrainingcoursestocheckifthey’rewelldesigned.

• Iftheobjectionscomefromtheparents,thenyouwillhavetoex-plaintothemthatvocationaltrainingisn’tgeneraleducationwhereyoucanassumethat“moretimeisequivalenttomoreknowledge”andthatinvocationaltrainingonecanfocusontechnicalaspects.

Trainers might not be able to break a curricu-lum down to a modular course

• Suchworkshouldbecarriedoutbyateamthatiscomposedbytrainers,practitionersofcraftsand/orformergraduates.Astaffmemberwithpedagogiccompetenciesshouldsupervisethework.

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A training system that comprises courses of varied duration re-quires sharp manage-ment in planning and organising

• Thetrainingpersonnelshouldworkinteamswithpedagogicstaffmembers.

• Thetrainingmodulesshouldbeplannedinaparticipativeproce-dure.

• Thereshouldbeapermanentdepartmentformonitoringandevalu-ation.

• Useexternalcompetenciesforadviceandforpedagogictrainingofthetrainers.

Whenever a training centre wants to be ac-credited by the state authority in order to issue officially recog-nised certificates, there will be the obligation to adopt the official cur-riculum

Thismeansthatyouareobligedtouseacurricu-lumthatinmostofthecasesisquiteoverloadedwithgeneraltopicsandsubjects.

• Anofficialcurriculumalmostalwaysincludesalotofclassictopicsofageneralnaturethatcan’tbetransferredtotrainingcoursesofshorterduration.Thenyoutotrytoreducethecontentofthesegen-eralsubjectstowhatisnecessaryorusefulforvocationaltraining.

• Generally,youonlycanexperimentwithnewandadaptedformsoftrainingindependentlyifyou’reanon-formalinstitution.Thus,ifyoureallywanttobeofservicetothepopulation,particularlypoorandvulnerabletargetgroups,thenitwouldbebesttomaintainanon-formalstatus.

• Ifmodulartrainingiswelldesigned,thenthepeoplewhograduatefromitwillimpresseverybodywiththeirexamresultsatexamina-tionandlateronwiththeirproductsandservices.Thismayalsoconvincethestateauthoritytoofficiallyrecognisethecertificates.

Three experiences with regards to duration of training

1) When the general topics made welding trainees stay away

Before2000,ourtraininginweldingtook12months.Buttheyoungpeoplewhowereinterestedinthiscraftdidn’twanttotrainforsuchalongperiodandtheydidn’tlikethegeneraltopicsinthiscourse,sotheystayedaway.Thisledustoreviewthetrainingprogrammeandtotakeoutasubstantialpartofthegeneralsubjects.Wewereabletoreducethecourseto6months.Aswehaveafollow-upsystemaftertraining,wevisittheworkshopsofourgraduates:inBukavuwehave18workshopsofgraduateswhohavebeentrainedinwelding.Observingtheirservicesandproducts,nobodycouldsaythattheyareoflessqualitythanthoseofotherwelders.Theyalsohaveapprenticeswhomtheytrain.Whenevertheyaskforfurthertrainingorupgrading,weareabletoorganiseitforthem.

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2) Training “by grades” in car mechanics

Beforethereformof1992,thetrainingincarmechanicslasted3years.Wethendecidedtosplitthetrain-ingintotwogrades:M12andM24.ThoseinthefirstgradeofM12tendrathertobepractitionersandtheyarenotpreparedtobetrainers.ThosedoingthesecondgradeM24receivemuchmoretheoryandarepreparedtobetrainers.Besidesthis,weusuallyreceiveformergraduateswhocomebacktoustoaskforupgradingincertainspecialitieslikecarelectricityorfixingofcarswithautomaticgearbox.Forinstance,twoofourgradeM12graduateshadbeenemployedbyatrainingcentreoftheCatholicChurch.Astheyhadnotdonethecompletetraining,theyweresentbacktoustodotheM24sotheycouldbecomecompetenttrainers.

3) Is it really necessary to make somebody go through several years of training in order to open a small restaurant or even a cookshop?

InDem.Rep.ofCongo,thereisaclassictechnicaleducationforgastronomythattakes3to6years,butyoucan’tfindmanyofthesegraduatesworkinginthemarket.AtCAPAwehavedevelopedsixmodulestotraincandidatesincookingandinmanagingasmallrestaurantin3months.Inthisway,severalwomenwereabletogetself-employed,openingsmallrestaurantsandearn-ingasustainableincomefromthis.Theyevenemployotherpeople.ThisisthecaseofMs.Charlottewhonowhastworestaurantswith12employees.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of with regards to the duration of training• Ifpossible,oneshouldavoidadoptingtrainingprogrammesthatareoverloadedwithgeneraltopics.• Avoidwastingresources(time,material,money)byorganisingtrainingoflongdurationthatdoesn’t

meettheneedofthepopulation.

What facilitates success• Trainingcentresshouldreallybecomeawarethattherearesometargetgroupsinthepopulationwho

neitherhavethemoneynorthetimetoendurelongtraining.• Insteadofofferingstandardversionsofvocationaltraininglastingforyears,it’smoreusefultoor-

ganiseitinstages.Thishelpspoorpeople,inparticular.• Whileofferingshortcourses,it’sveryimportantthattheyarepracticalandattentionmustbepaidto

thequalityofthetraining.

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Practice – a crucial element in all kind of vocational training

Current issues

WhenwelookatthecentresandschoolsforvocationaltraininginAfrica,wequicklyobserveoneofthemainproblems:mostofthecurriculaortrainingprogrammesareevidencethattheimportanceofpracticeisnotreallyseen.Particularlyinthecentresandschoolswithformalstatuswhouseanofficialcurriculum,practicalexercisestakejustaround20to30%ofthewholetrainingprogramme.Again,thisismainlyduetothefactthatvocationaltrainingistoooftenconsideredasaspecialformofgeneraleducationandthatthereforeitfollowsthepatternsofaschoolwhereverylittleimportanceisassignedtopractice.Toomanydirectorsoftrainingcentreshaven’tgotanycontactwiththemarket,enterprisesorthelocalcraftssector,sotheirthinkingandunderstandingisquitefarawayoftheworldofworktheyaretrainingfor.Thismakesthemunderestimatetheimportanceofpractisingforatrade.Iftheyrecogniseitoneday,theywillfindthemselvesinthesituationwheretheydon’tknowwhattodotoraisethenumberofhoursforpracticalexercisewithinacurriculumthatistightandfixed.They’llalsostatethatinrealitytheywouldneedmuchmoreequipmenttobeabletooffergoodpractice.Youngpeoplewhohavebeentrainedthiswaywillleavethesevocationalcentrespoorlypreparedfortherealworkastheyhavemainlyseenthetradeonpaper.

What is the specific challenge with regards to practice in a training programme?

Therealchallengeisquitesimpleanddemandingatthesametime:it’stheneedforadeepandtrueun-derstandingoftheimportanceofpracticeinvocationaltraining.Oncethisisunderstood,youneedtotryeverythingtocreateandorganisethemaximumofopportunitiesforthetraineestopractisewhattheylearnintheoryandtogetexperienceofwhatwecouldcallthe“realworldofwork”.

What are the approaches at CAPA with regards to practice?

Aswehavealreadyhighlighted,atCAPAwegivealotofspaceandmuchimportancetopractice,whetherit’swithinthetrainingprogrammeatCAPAoroutsidethroughinternship.

Forus,thebenchmarkforpracticeisaround70%(95%foronthejobtraining).Wheneverthenumberoftraineesisveryhigh,wedoitonarotationalbasis.Thepracticeisdoneinsocalled“pedagogicwork-shops”withinourproductionunits.Thismeansthatthematerialthatweuseispartofourproduction.Inordertoreducethewasteofthenovice-traineesatthebeginningofthetraining,weaddsomematerialfortrainingpurpose.

Withregardstointernship,weareconvincedthatitisanindispensablepartofthetraining,asonlyintern-shipcangiveaninsightintotherealworldofwork.It’salsoagoodwaytoprepareforinsertion.Wehavetwokindsofinternships:freelychoseninternshipandcompulsoryinternship.Thefirstoneiswhatwealwaysrecommendandwhatthetraineescandovoluntarily:tosearchfromthebegin-ningforaworkshopintownwheretheycanbeallowedtojoinineverynowandtheninordertopractisewhattheyhavelearntatthecentre.Thismeansthatweencouragethetraineestomakefriendswithcraftspeople-the

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dressmakingtraineewithadressmakerintown,thetraineeincarmechanicswithagarageintownorwithdriv-ersandsoon.Whiletheyarestilllearners,thetraineescangetinclosercontactwiththerealworldofworkinthisway.Theycanobserve,look,touch,getfamiliarwithit.Thiswillgreatlyhelpthemwhenitcomestotheirprofessionalinsertionaftertraining.It’sanotherkindof“sponsorship”:thecraftspersonwhotakescareoftheyoungpersonandinitiateshimorherintotheworldofwork.

Until2012,wehadonlyonecompulsoryinternship,towardstheendofthetraining.Today,wehavetwocompulsoryinternships:onehalf-waythroughandoneattheend.Therespectivedurationdependsonthetrade.Duringthesetwointernships,thetraineesarecloselymonitoredbythetrainersandbythestaffinchargeofmonitoringandevaluation.Thefirstinternshiphalf-waythroughisthefirstcontactofthetraineeswiththeworldofwork.Usuallytheycomebackfromtherewithallsortsofimpressionsandknowingwhattheyarestilllacking.Wecon-siderthisasfeedbackinimprovingthetraining.Afterthelastinternship,thetraineehastomakeareportthathastobepresentedinfrontoftheclassandanadhoccommitteeforthispurpose.Hehastoargueontheachievementsofinternshipandthisisoneofthemainconditionstoadmithimorhertothejuryforcertification.Thementorduringtheinternshipalsoprovidesaconfidentialreporttothefollow-updepartment.Thedifficultiesandthedeficitsthathavebeennoticedintheperformanceofthetraineesduringinternshiparethenanalysedandtransformedintospecialtheoreticalandpracticallessonsforthetraineesbeforetheygettothefinalexamforcertification.Theselessonsaregiventothepeopleconcernedinparticularseminars.



Strategy, method or tip in for overcoming the difficulties

You may not find places for internship

• Sensitiseyourowngraduatesduringthetrainingsothattheyacceptothersforinternshiplateron.

• Practiseclosecollaborationwiththeemployersofyourowngradu-atesinordertohavethemasfirstguaranteefortheinternshipofyourtrainees.

• Identifymastercraftspeopleandinvitethemtoroundtablesinordertosensitisethemtotheneedforinternshipplacesfortheyoung.

• Atrainingcentreshouldbesthavesomeofitsownworkshopsforpracticeandproductionwheretraineeswhocan’tbeplacedelse-wherecouldbehosted.

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Some enterprises or private workshops might refuse the idea of accepting interns because they are afraid of giving away “profes-sional secrets”

• Youcouldnegotiatewiththeseenterprisestoacceptinternsforplacesindepartmentsorserviceswherethereisnoneedtoprotectanysecret.

• Someoftheseenterprisesorworkshopsmightthemselveshaverecommendedcandidatesfortraining.Thustheseparticularyoungpeopleshouldbesentbacktothemforinternship.

• Inanycase,itisusefultodeveloprelationshipsandcollaboratewithmanagersofenterprisessothatthereismoretrustandopennessre-gardingtheissueofinternship.

• Iftheproblemcropsupthatsomemanagersofenterprisesarereluc-tantabouttheideaofinternship,thentheycouldbebroughttogetherwithothersfromthesamebranchwhohostinternssothattheymightbeconvinced.

Some mentors and supervisors ask for money as they are of the opinion that they are “trainers” and that they therefore should be paid for it

• Insistonmakingacontractofinternshipbetweentheenterpriseandthefutureinternandsetoutclearlyinthiscontractwhattherolesandadvantagesforeachpartyare.

• Youcouldshowandexplaintothemastercraftspeopleorsupervi-sorswhatthecontributionsofaninternintermsofservicesareandwhatvalueithasfortheenterpriseortheworkshop.

• Trytoconvincethesupervisorsormentorsthattheinternscanbeafutureworkforceforthemandthatthiswouldbearealadvantagefortheirbusiness.

• Writethank-youletterstothementorsorsupervisorsandgivepublicmentionorawardstothebesttutors.Thiswillmotivatethemtodoevenbetter.

• Encouragetheinternstoalwaysshowdeferencetowardsthementororsupervisorduringthetrainingaswellasafterwardswhentheyarealreadyworking.

There are some work-shop owners who don’t take supervision of in-terns seriously

• Theinternshipcontractshoulddelineatethespecificneedsofthetrainee.

• Formulateclearlyandincollaborationwiththeworkshopownerwhichthepreciseobjectivesofinternshipare.

• Thetrainingcentreshouldmaintaincontactwiththeinternandstayinpermanentdialoguewithhimorher,whichwillenableittoknowhowtheinternisbeingtreated.

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• Thetrainingcentremustassureaclosemonitoringoftheinterns’performanceandoftheirrelationswiththementorsorsupervisors.

Sexual harassment of girls happens in male environment

• Prepareyoungwomenandadvisethemaboutapossibledangersuchasthisandhowtobehavewhenitoccurs.

• Wheneverpossible,sensitisepeoplethroughthemediainordertofightagainstsexualharassmentinprofessionalenvironment.

• Theinternshipoffemaleinternsshouldbeparticularlymonitoredandtheyshouldbeencouragedtodefyfearandtobreaksilenceifharassmenthappenstothemsothatthetrainingcentrecaninter-vene.

Sometimes it happens that the intern doesn’t come back from intern-ship because he or she has been retained in the workshop or enterprise as an employee

• Thetraineesshouldbesensitisedbeforetheirinternshipnottoac-ceptanemploymentwithouthavingobtainedtheircertification.

• Ifthementorwon’tlettheinterngo(orthetraineedoesn’twanttoleave),negotiatewiththementororentrepreneursothathecanonlyemploytheinternparttime,lettingtheinterncontinuethetraining.

• Anothersolutionmightbetoincludeaclauseinthetripartitecon-tractoftrainingthatspecifiesapenaltyifoneofthepartiesaban-donsthetrainingbeforeithasbeencompleted.

Three cases of internship

1) Making guitars – a quite particular trade where internship places don’t exist…

Wheneveryoutraininabranchoranactivitywheretherearen’tanyworkplacesforinternship,youhavetheproblemofhowtoassuretheprofessionalexperienceforthetrainees.Thisisthecaseforourtraininginguitarmakingastherearen’tanyworkshopsinourregionwhereguitarsareproduced.Thus,theonlyoptionleftistotakeinthetraineesforinternshipinourownworkshopatCAPAwhereweproduceguitars.

2) When there is a lack of qualified workforce in some sectors, it quickly happens that enterprises don’t let the interns go

Asamatteroffact,therearesectorsorbrancheswherequalifiedworkersoremployeesarelacking.Inourregiontheseare:thehotelbusiness,plumbingandmarinenavigation.Whenwestartedthetraininginmarinenavigation,wehad22trainees,allofthemimmediatelyacceptedforinternshipbyshipowners,and17ofthemhadbeenretainedwithoutgivingthemtimetocomplete

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theirtraining.Onlysixownersfinallyagreedtolettheinternscontinuethetraining.Theothers(former)internswouldstillliketobebetterqualifiedandupgradedatCAPAbuttheyareafraidtolosetheirjobsiftheydoit.

3) An intern has been employed and forgets then that she hasn’t yet got the right to get the certi-fication

Ms.Odetteisthewidowofasoldierwhowaskilledduringthewar.ShecametoCAPAtobetrainedincomputerskillsandshethengotaninternshipattheBukavupolicestation.Thedeputycommanderofthepoliceappreciatedherperformancesomuchthatshewashiredonthespot.Shenevercamebacktocom-pletehertraining.Whenthecommanderwascontactedbyourfollow-upunit,hedeclaredthattheywouldnotletMs.Odettegoastheyweresatisfiedwithherperformance.Ms.Odettewasthrilledaboutthisandshethoughtthatshehadtherighttogetthecertificateasshewassowellappreciatedbyheremployer.However,wetoldherthatshecanonlyreceivethecertificateifshefinishesallthemodulesofthetrainingandhaspassedtheexamwiththejury.Shealwayssaysthatshewilldoit‘whenshehassometime’butuptonowshehasnevercomebacktodoso.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of • Don’tputgraduateswhohaveneverseenpracticeintheworldofworkonthelabourmarket.• Traineesshouldneverbeplacedinaninternshipwithoutbeingmonitoredbythetrainingcentre.• Payattentiontothedangerthatinternsmightbeusedascheaplabourinsteadoflearningsomething.• Don’thaveblindtrustintrainerswhojustshowanexcellentCVthatprovestheoreticalmastership:

checkhispracticalcompetencies,too.

What facilitates success• ThetrainingcentrecancontacttheFederationofEnterprisesintheregionorcityandaskspecifically

forplacesofinternship.• Thecentreshouldhavealternativeideasforthebrancheswhereitisdifficulttofindinternshipplaces

orwheretheydon’texist.• Atrainingcentreshouldalwaysusetheexperiencesandthefeedbackofinternshiptoimprovethe

training.

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Vocational training and income generation for self-financing - how to succeed in combining them

Current issues

Usually,mostofthevocationaltrainingcentresalsohavesomeproductionasanincome-generatingsideac-tivityforself-financing.It’sonlythescopeofthisactivitythatmakesadifferencebetweenthecentres.Someofthemhavesofewactivitiesthatthequestionofwhetherthisactivityhastobematchedwiththetrainingobjectivedoesn’tevenshowup.Others,however,mayhavequitealotofproductionactivitiesandnoticethatthissituationoftenbecomesaproblemandinterfereswiththetrainingprogramme.Whilecommercialproductioninatrainingcentrecanbeagoodopportunityforthetrainees,asitisdirectlylinkedtotherealmarket,italsocanturnouttobeaproblem,hinderinggooddiversifiedtraining.Asanexample,wecanmen-tionaproblemfrequentlyexperiencedintrainingcentresthatbelongtoachurch.Atthesecentres,youwillquiteoftenfindthatthecarpentryandweldingworkshopgetsbigordersforpewsanddesks,comingfromthechurchesandschoolsbelongingtothechurch.Whentraineesaretrainedonthispracticalbasis,intheend,theywon’tknowanythingotherthanproducingpewsanddesks.Inothercases,thecentremayhaveawell-functioningcommercialworkshop,forexampleagarage.Butthenyoumayfindtheinversesituation:traineesarenotallowedtogothereandaren’tallowedtoeventouchasinglecarbecausethemanagementofthecentreisafraidthattheymightdamagesomethingandspoilthegoodreputationoftheworkshop.

What is the specific challenge when a training centre tries to combine training with production?

Inthiscase,thechallengeisquicklydescribed:it’sthechallengeoffindingagoodbalancebetweenthecommercialactivityandthetrainingobjective.

How does CAPA function with regards to the relationship between training and self-financing activities?

Wethinkthatanytrainingsystemshouldtrytocombinethesetwoaimsasmuchandaswellaspossible.Thisconviction,whichisevenarecommendationfromourside,stemsfromtheexperiencethattraineeswhohavebeenproducingforthemarketduringtheirtrainingarebetterpreparedfortheirfutureactivityafterthetraining.AtCAPAwehavebeenusingthisapproachforalongtimeinmetalworkandwelding.Productionthatincludestrainingaspectsaswellisdonewithmoreaccurateness,asallclassicalstagesoftheprocedurearefollowedevenifthismightentailacertainwasteofmaterial.Wehavethereforecreatedwhatwecall“pedagogicworkshops”,whichareentitieswithintheproductionworkshopsbutdedicatedtopracticalexercisesfortrainingpurposes.AtCAPA,wedon’thaveplacesforpracticalexerciselikeinschoolswherethingsareartificiallyproducedjustinordertotrashthem.

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Withregardstoagoodandusefulrelationshipbetweentrainingandproduction,atCAPAweproceedasfollows:• Weallocateastaffmemberorworkforcetoeachoneofthesetwoactivitiesandgivethemspecified

trainingorproductiontargets.• Theemployeesofthesetwounitsarestrategicallyalignedsothattheyunderstandtheutilityandthe

complementarity.• Eachactivityhasaspecificportionoftimeallocatedtoiteachdayandthisiscloselymonitored.• Thetraineesareinvolvedinproductionandtheygetsomemoneyforthisperpiece,whichisaway

tomotivatethemandpreparethemfortheirworksituationinthefuture.• Aswenoticedthatfromtimetotimedisagreementspopupbetweenthetwounitswithregardstothe

useoftools,sowetrytoequipeachoftheunitswithitsowntools.




Most of the training centres don’t employ workers for production but use the trainers in-stead

• Inthiscase,itisextremelyimportanttodefinewelltheportionoftimeusedforeachactivity.Thehoursperdaythatareusedfortrain-ingandthosethatareusedforproductionhavetobedeterminedanddefined.

• Inordertomaximisethetrainingopportunitiesforthetrainees,theyalsomayparticipateintheproductionworkbuttheyshouldthenbecloselysupervisedinordernottocreatetoomuchmaterialloss.

• Itisalsoveryimportanttoinstallamonitoringandcontrolsystemthatsupervisesthetwoactivitiesinordertoassureeffectivenessandtoavoidmutualblamingwhenthingsdon’tgowell.

There is often a lack of clarity with regards to the management of these two production and training units

• Managementproceduresmustbedesignedforbothaspectsandhavetobemonitoreddailytoensurethattheyarecarriedoutaccordingly.

• Therightapproachthatwerecommendismanagementbyobjective,accordingtowhichtheperiodicalobjectivesarestringentlydevel-opedandcloselycontrolled.

• Installaninternalcontrolmechanismthatisstrictlyobservedandimplemented,includingrespectivepenaltiesaswellasrewards.

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There may be lack of diversity in production due to “one type” of orders

Thismainlyhappenswhenthemanagementofatrainingcentrehasn’tgotenoughbusinesscompetenciesandjust“passively”acceptsin-comingorders.

• Whenyouusuallygetthesametypeoforders,youcouldtrytopro-ducediversifieditemsbyyourselftoexhibitforsale.

• Youcouldalsoemploysomebody(orqualifyanemployee)whosetaskis‘business’,whichinvolveslookingforclients,andwhoisexclusivelyconcernedwithproduction.

• Youcouldalsorentpartoftheworkshops(ifpossible)toaprivatecraftsmanorentrepreneursohecanexecutehisordersthere,butonlyifthisissomehowusefulforthetraining.

There can be a preva-lence of production over training

• Thiscanbeavoidedbyastricttimemanagement:thetimeallocatedtoeachoftheactivitieshastobeplannedandthenrespected.

• It’sgoodtocreatesomeremunerationmechanismsthatmayparticu-larlymotivatetheworkersaswellasthetrainers.

• Ithastobecheckedcarefullyhowmuchtimeproductionactivitiescanoccupywithoutaffectingthetrainingnegatively.

Conflicts may arise be-tween the workers and the trainers with re-gard to the use of tools and machines

• Soonerorlater,eachactivityhastobeequippedwithitsowntools.

• Itisnecessarytodrawupandtoapplyaregulationontheuse,themaintenanceandtheconservationoftoolsandmachines;thisshouldincludepenaltiesfortheft,lossorunjustifieddamage.Thisregulationhastobepartofthemanualofmanagementproceduresthatshouldbedesignedandsharedwiththeemployeesandthetrainees.

• Eachcategoryofpeopleinvolvedhastoknowthattheyareresponsibleforthetoolsthathavebeenallocatedtothem.Traineesshouldalsobesensitisedtothisastheyarequiteoftenwronglyaccusedwhentheft,lossordamageoccurs.

Delivery time for prod-ucts or services may not be respected

• Thepersonwhomanagestheordersshouldhavetwodifferent“deliv-erytimes”:arealonefortheclientandan“internal”onewhenhere-ceivestheproductfromtheworkers.Inordertoalwaysassuredelivery,therealandlaterdeliverytimetotheclientshouldnotberevealedtotheworkers.

• Asanotherinternalprocedure,thereshouldbeacontractoftaskswiththeworkersthatfixestheconsequencesintermsofpenaltywhentheproductsarenotdeliveredinintimeandingoodquality.

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• Whenthecentregetsbigorders,someofthemcouldbegiventoex-graduates,withtheconditionsforthisandtherespectivecontrolmech-anismsbeingcontractuallyset.

• Thetraineescanalsobeausefulworkforce.Dependingontheirlevel,theycancarryoutcertaintaskslikepreparingthepieces.Inthiscase,theyshouldberemuneratedaccordingtotheirwork.

Three examples of how training can be “combined” with income generation

1) The construction of a hospital serves for training on the job

Tocombinetrainingandself-financinginanintelligentway,strategicthinkingandsometimestricksarerequiredtoguaranteethattheyarewell-matched.In2013,CAPAobtainedabigconstructioncontractfromDoctors Without Borders:theconstructionofninebuildingsofahospital.Thiswasclearlyacommercialactivityforself-financing,butatthesametimeweuseditfortrainingpurposes.Thisishow39youngpeoplebecamemasonsbylearningonthejobatthisconstructionsite.Thetimetakenforthisconstructionprojectandthedifferenttasksthatitcomprisedmaderealmasonsoftheseyoungpeople,whohadstartedoutaspurehelpersonthejob.Theygottheircertificates,asitwasproventhattheyhadbecomerealmasons.Thisisanexamplehowincomegenera-tionandtrainingcangohandinhandandsatisfybothsides:thetrainingcentreandyoungpeoplewhoaregivenachancethattheycouldn’thavehadotherwise.

2) Brick makers at work – a training that is linked to production and inverse

In2002,CAPAreceivedanorderfromtheProtestantUniversityofAfricainBukavu:bricksofgoodqual-ityfortheconstructionoftheirfacultyofagronomy.AswewereincontactwithaconsultantfromTogowhoisspecialisedinbrickmaking,thiswasagoodopportunityforustogethiminvolvedinordertotrainbrickmakers.Thetrainingwastheproductionandtheproductionservedthetraining.Throughthisorder,the67workerswhohadcarrieditout,hadbeentrainedandtodaytheytrainotherpeopleonthreebrickmakingsitesinourregion.CAPAnowhastwolocationsfortrainingandforproducingbricksofgoodquality.BrickmakersfromotherregionsintheprovinceofSouthKivuregularlycometoustobetrainedandatthesametimetheyparticipateintheproduction,asthetrainingistheproduction.

3) Production for sale and training instead of insignificant orders Ourtrainingandproductionworkshopforleatherworkandshoemakingisanothertypeofexampleofhowproductioncanbecombinedwithtraining.Inthissector,ordersdropinonebyone,asituationthatisneitherusefulforincomenorfortraining.Thuswedecidedtoidentifywhattypeofproductismainly

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askedforandtoproducethemforsale.Thetraineesarethenlearningandproducingatthesametime.Thismeansthatbyproducingtheyalsogetsomeincomewhilebeingstilltrainees.Mostofthetraineesinthisbranchareon-the-joblearnersanyway,asthisgoeswelltogetherwithproductionactivitiesrightfromthestart.Atthebeginningtheycutandpreparethepieces,thenstepbysteptheylearnhowtoassemblethepiecesinordertobecomecraftsmeninleatherworkorshoemakers.Productionandtrainingarelikeasymbiosisandtheresultisagoodwaytoquicklymakepeopleintogoodcraftspeopleinquiteaneasyway.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of • Ifpossible:avoid“virtual”practicalexercisewhoseproductsjustendupinthetrash.• Traineesshouldnevercompletetheirtrainingandbecertifiedwithouthavingbeeninvolvedinsome

realpracticalwork,producingthethingsthattheyhavetoproducelateronascraftspeople.• Payattentiontothedangerthatproductioncanoverwhelmtraining,affectingitnegatively.• Payattentiontothe“temptation”fortraineesaswell:theymightgetsoexcitedby“producing”that

theymaylosesightofthetraining.

What facilitates success• Forareallygoodvocationaltrainingresult,itisindispensabletobeinvolvedwiththemarketbypro-

ducinggoodsand/orofferingservicestorealconsumers.• Ifatrainingcentredoesn’thaveanyworkplaceforproduction,it’simportanttoassureinternships

moreoftenormoreintensively.• Inanycase,goodvocationaltrainingrequiresthattraineesgetaccesstorealproductionwhilethey

arestilllearning.

Note:You will find more details about production for income generation in the chapter “Income generation for self-financing”

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Pedagogyadaptedtovocationaltraining

Pedagogy adapted to vocational training

Current issues

Wheneveritcomestovocationaltraining,pedagogyturnsouttobeaproblem.Thisisduetothefactthatontheonehandvocationaltrainingis‘teaching’butatthesametimeitistrainingforwork.Inmostofthecases,trainingcentresorvocationalschoolsarenotabletomatchthesetwoendsoptimally.Theformalcentresandvocationalschoolsmainlyhavetrainerswhohaveadiplomafromapedagogicalinstitutethatqualifiesthemtobeteachersathighschools(Ecole Normale)buttheyneverhadanyexperienceintherealworldofwork.Theothers,particularlynon-formaltrainingcentres,mayemploypractitioners,techniciansorcraftspeople,whohavehadexcellentpracticalexperienceintherealmarketbutwhohaven’tgotanyknowledgeonhowto‘teach’whattheyknow.Sometimes,themanagementiswellawareofthissituationbutdoesn’tknowhowtomasterortosolveit.Howdoyoumaketeachersgetintouchwiththeworldofwork?Andwherecanyousendpractitionerssothattheycangetcomplementaryknowledgeandaptitudeinpedagogicskills?Beyondthistypicalproblematicsituationofvocationaltraining,thereisanotherproblemrelatedtopedagogyassuch.Toooften,theeducationalsysteminAfricastillusesmethodsthataren’tveryparticipativeandaren’tinteractiveenough.Now,inthesamewaythat“learninglessonsbyheartandsimplyrepeatingknowledge”doesn’tcreateresponsiblecitizens,thesame“simpleabsorptionoftechnicalknowledge”doesn’tgenerateagoodworkforceorcompetenttechnicianscapableofsolvingproblemsandinnovating.

What is the specific challenge with regards to pedagogy in the frame of vocation-al training?

Thechallengeisadoubleone:itconcernsthestaffaswellasthematerial.Withregardstothestaff,thechallengewilleitherbetoqualifythepractitionersortofindpractitionerswhohaveaninborntalentforteaching.Ifit’snotpossibletotrainthetrainersinpedagogicalskills,thenoneshouldatleastassurethattheyareabletopresentthetopicswellandthatthereisagoodrelationshipbetweentrainersandtrainees.Withregardstotrainerswhoareteacherswithastrongacademicbackground,therearenowaysknowntobringthemmoreclosetotherealpracticeofatrade.Youcan’t“train”themforpractice–whilepracti-tionersmostlyacceptbeingtrainedinpedagogytobemorecompetentastrainers,teacherswillmostlybeconvincedthattheiracademicknowledgealsoincludespracticalcompetency.Thebestsolutionforthiswouldbeiftheseteachersare(only)usedfortheorylessons.

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What we are frequently asked about pedagogy

(1) What are your pedagogic concepts?Ourmainprinciplesare:tolistentothetraineesandtoinvolvethemwhereverit’spossibleornecessary.Weapplyanactiveandparticipatorypedagogy.Astothepracticeofthetrade,weapplylearningbydoingfortheon-the-jobtraining.Andwithregardstothetrainingofadults,wefollowtheprinciplesofandrag-ogy.

(2) Are particular pedagogic approaches needed in vocational training?Thedidacticsforvocationaltrainingarespecial.Beyondthisgeneralaspect,thetrainingofparticulartargetgroupsalsorequiresparticularapproachesifyouwanttosucceedwiththetraining.

(3) Are special target groups trained with different pedagogic approaches?Wehavedevelopedspecificapproachesforeachparticulartargetgroup(theseapproacheswillbepre-sentedinthechapteraboutinclusionofparticulartargetgroups).

(4) Do all your trainers master pedagogic aspects?Thisisanidealtargetthatcannotquicklybereached.Ourtrainersarestillstrugglingwiththis.It’salengthyprocesswithmanychallengesandproblemsthatarerelatedtothecharacteristicsofthepersonsbutalsotothecharacteristicsofthetargetgroupsandthenatureoftherespectivetrades.Thefurthertrainingthatweoffertothetrainersaccordingtothedifficultiesthattheymeetisthebridgethatwebuildtoreachthetarget.

What do we do at CAPA with regards to pedagogy? What is our pedagogic concept?

WehaveaspecialisedpedagogicdepartmentatCAPA.Thisdepartmentisinchargeofallpedagogicis-suesbefore,duringandaftertraining.Weusepedagogicapproachesduringthevocationalcounselling,intraining,intheevaluationofthetrainingandinthesocio-professionalinsertionofthegraduates.Thisdepartmentisthereforeactiveatanystage,before,duringandaftertrainingandtheyhavetodevelopquitealotofstrategies,tacticsandstandardswithregardstopedagogicaspects.

Before the training,i.e.beforethetrainingstarts,thepedagogicdepartment,whichconsistsoftrainersandsomeadministrativestaff,hastocollectandanalyseallexistingpedagogicapproaches.PedagogicpracticesthatarepublishedandexperiencedsomewhereoratCAPAarecollected,documented,archivedandsharedsotheycanbeusedthen.

During the training,i.e.whileanalysingthedifferenttrainingactivities,thedepartmentidentifiesthechar-acteristicsoftheparticulartargetgroupsandthentriestofindthepedagogicapproachesthatmaybebestadaptedtothemintheexistingdocuments.Iftherearen’tany,wehavetoinventthem.Withregardstothecontentsoftraining,thecurricula,theperformanceofthetrainersandtheinternshipsaswellastheexaminationjuryandthecertificationarethemainconcernofthepedagogicdepartment.

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Oneall-encompassingissueforthisdepartmentistheobservationof‘humanbehaviour’,thatis:howtrain-ersbehavewiththetargetgroupsandhowdifficulttargetgroupscanbemonitoredandtutoredbythepeda-gogicdepartment.Howdoesthisdepartmenttackleitstasks?Throughactivelisteningtoallparties,particularlythepersonstobetrained;regularmeetingswiththetrainingteamstoshareanddiscusspedagogicissues;thealloca-tionoftasks;monitoringandevaluationofthetrainingactivitiesandthefurthertrainingofthetrainersaccordingtotheneedsthathavebeenidentified.Thepedagogicmonitoringconsistsofvisitstotrainingunits(supervisionofthetrainers’didacticperform-ance),thedevelopmentandverificationoftrainingprogrammes,checkingthecontentsoflessonsandmoni-toringthetrainerstoassureeffectiveandefficienttraining.Withregardstoevaluation,variousproceduresallowthepedagogicdepartmenttocollectlessonslearntandexploitthemforfutureimprovement.Ourtraineesparticipateintheevaluationofthetrainers’performance(anuncommonprocedureinAfricaasitallowstheyoungpeopletocriticisetheadults),thesupervisorsfromtheinternshipsubmittheirappraisals,andtheexaminationjuryandthecertificationareorganisedtogetherwiththestateauthority.

After training,i.e.thefollow-upofthegraduatesintheiremploymentorself-employment.Thisfollowupallowsustonotethedeficitsofgraduatesrelatedtotheiremploymentsituationintheopenmarket.Theobservationsarereflectedinteamworkandwetrytofindadequatepedagogicanswersforthelongterm.Sometimesthedeficitsofthegraduatesintheirpracticalworkaretheconsequenceofweakpedagogicapproachesduringthetraining.



Strategy, method or tip in order for overcoming the difficulties

Trainers may not be competent with regards to the pedagogy of vo-cational training

• Identifythepedagogicdeficitsofthetrainers.

• Identifytheneedsforfurthertraining.

• Haveupgradingmodulesorganisedbyindependentconsultantswhoarespecialisedinthefield.

There are target groups for whom specific peda-gogic approaches may be lacking

• Whenpedagogicapproachesarelackingforsometargetgroup:- Pragmatismisrequired,startingwithtrainingonthejob.- Therewillbeaneedforthetrainerstobecreativeinaprocessof

trialanderroruntiltheobjectiveofthetrainingcanbereached.

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- Allthevariousstrategiesandtacticsthatsucceedwiththistargetgroupshouldbeputtogetherandarchivedsothattheycanbeofuseinthefuture.

- Informationcanbeobtainedfromcraftspeoplewhomayalreadyhavetrainedsuchpeople.

Some trainers will not adapt to modern prin-ciples of pedagogy

• Whentrainersdon’tadapttoapedagogicapproachthatisconsid-eredvital:- Trytohavethemfurthertrainedbyexperiencedexpertsinpeda-

gogy.- Initiateapeertopeerexchangebetweentrainers.- Trytolookforotheralternativesandletthesetrainerschoosethe

method.

• Ifanythingworksandsometrainersstilldon’t(orwon’t)adapt,adecisionhastobemadetotransferthemtootherfunctionsaccord-ingtotheiraptitudesortodismissthemsothatthecentrecanhireotherpeoplewhomeettherequirements.

Trainers might not be willing to accept being evaluated by the train-ees

• Therewillbeaneedtosensitisealltrainerstoafeedbackculture.

• Havingthetrainersevaluatedbythetraineesisoneoftheveryef-fectiveapproachesinvocationaltraining.Trainerswhorefusethiskindofassessmentareoftenquiteweakincertainareasandtrytohidethataway.

• Itisimportanttomakethetraineesassesstheirtrainerswhilethelatterarenotpresent.

• It’sthetaskofthepedagogicteamtoreporttothetrainerswhathavebeenindicatedasstrengthsonwhichtheycanbuildfurtheronandwhathasbeenindicatedasweaknessthatshouldbeimprovedinordertobemoreeffective.

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Some experiences at CAPA with regards to the pedagogy of vocational training

1) An academic carpenter who doesn’t know how to make a chair

Whenmanagersoftrainingcentreslookfortrainingstaff,theyshouldn’tbedeceivedbydiplomasandCVswithcomprehensiveacademicdescriptions.What’sneededinvocationaltrainingisnottoknowhowsomethingcouldbedonebuttoknowhow to really do it.Intheverybeginning,wehademployedacarpenterwhohadstudiedcarpentryinaverygoodtechnicalhighschool.Hewasstrongintheorybuthedidn’tknowhowtotransferhistheoreticalknowledgetothepractice.Histraineescametousagainandagaintocomplainabouthispracticalteachingsandfinallywehadtodismisshimasherefusedtoimproveonhispracticalcompetencies.

2) Excellent technical competency – zero pedagogic aptitude: what evaluations can tell us about trainers

Withoutadaptedpedagogicalapproachesresultingfromthetrainer’ssoftskillsandknow-how,vocationaltrainingwillbebiased.AtCAPAweoncehadatrainerincarmechanicswhoimpresseduswithhispro-file.Hehadadiplomafromatechnicalschoolwithahighreputationandhewasbrilliantasatechnician.However,whenitcametothecapacitytorelatetopeople,hewasveryweak.Apparentlyhewasdoingteachingquitewellbut,timeaftertime,problemscroppedupwiththetrainees,whocomplainedmoreandmoreabouthisattitudetowardsthem.Alltheevaluationsthatweredoneonhimshowedarathermediocrepictureofhispersonalityandthepedagogicdepartmentreportednegativelyabouthimtothedirector.How-ever,thedirectorhimselfwasconvincedthatthistrainerwasoneofthebestsoheignoredtheobservationsofthepedagogicteam.Finally,notonlydidthetraineesgetrebelliousbutreallynegativecharacteristicsofhispersonalitybecamesoobviousthatthemanagementwasforcedtomakeadecision.ThiswastheendofhisemploymentatCAPA.

3) No pedagogical qualifications but an inherent talent in dealing with young people and to teach them

WeatCAPAcanaffirmthatpureknowledgeisnotenoughtobeagoodtrainerandteacher.Aswedefi-nitelyknowthatwearen’twronghere,wecanshowitwithaveryimpressiveexample.Wewereonceverysurprisedbyaladywhocametoustolearnmetalworkandwelding.Shewasinherfiftiesbutaswedon’thaveanyagelimitationsatCAPA,shewasaccepted.Whenshepassedthefinalexamforcertificationwithexcellentresults,weemployedherasatrainer.Thisiswhenshesurprisedusforasecondtime.Withoutanyknowledgeaboutpedagogy,shemanagedtohandleaverydifficulttargetgroupwithwhomevenourbesttrainershadexperiencedmanyproblems:shetraineddemobilisedsoldiersandex-combatantsinmetalworkandwelding.Sheisrespectedand,asaresultofhernaturalauthority,sheisseenandacceptedasaleader.Beyondthat,sheplaysanimportantroleinthecentreasshehasamoderatinginfluenceandcanresolvequarrels.

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Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of • Don’ttrustatraineronlybecauseheisgoodandfluentintheory:checkifhealsohaspracticalexpe-

rience,otherwisehewon’tbeabletoexplainthingsproperly.• Don’tapplythecopy&pastemethodwithregardstocurriculathatyouwanttouse:checkifevery-

thingcorrespondstotheobjectivesofyourtrainingandifitisadaptedtoyourtargetgroups.

What facilitates success• Wheneveryouhavetraineeswhodon’tseemtohaveagoodunderstandingofthetrainingcontents,

checkifthereasonmightnotbethetrainer’slackofpedagogicalcompetency.• Imagineandinventapproaches,tacticsandstrategiesthatareadaptedtoyourtargetgroups.• Agoodtrainingcentreshouldbuildupitsowntrainingstaffbecausethenyoucanbesureofhaving

chosenpeoplewhocorrespondtothe‘philosophy’oftheinstitution,whoarewellknownandwhocanbealignedwiththecriteriaandprinciplesoftheinstitution.

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Inclusionofparticulartargetgroupsintovocationaltraining

Inclusion of particular target groups into vocational training

Theheadingofthischaptermayappearquitestrange,asatrainingcentregenerallydoesn’thavea“spe-cifictargetgroup”.Anyyoungpersonwhowantstolearnatradecanenrol.Selectionwilltendtofollowcriterialikethelevelofschoolingortheabilitytopaythetrainingfees.Well,thisisexactlywhatjustifiestheheading,asthesetwocriteriaquiteoftenpreventcertaintargetgroupsfromaccessingvocationaltraining:it’saboutpoorpeople,aboutvulnerableandmarginalisedtargetgroups.It’saboutpeoplewhohaven’tbeentoschoolandwhodon’thavemoneytopayfortraining.Paradoxically,they’retheoneswhowouldmostneedvocationalandskillstraininginordertoassuresurvival.Atrainingsystemthathasbeenreformedisabletogivethemthisopportunity,asitisflexibleenoughinitsprogrammeanditisabletoadapttotheneedsofthepopulation.

Whoarewetalkingaboutwhenwesay“particulartargetgroups”?Well,theyareallthosepeoplewhodon’tfitintoa“normal”patterninsociallifeandwhoaredifferenttotheyoungpeopleyounormallymeetinatrainingcentre.Thesearethepeoplewithphysicalhandicapsuchasdeaf-mutesordisabledex-soldiers,theHIVcar-riers,theyoungsinglemothers,thetraumatisedpeoplewithposttraumaticstressdisorder,theex-combatants,theorphansandthesocialorethnicgroupsthataremarginalised,forexamplepygmies.Youcanfindmostofthesegroupsinanysocietyandifthere’sonesinglewordthatcharacterisestheirsitu-ation,it’s:exclusion.Theyareoftenexcludedfrom“normal”lifeinsociety,peoplesidestepthem,ignorethemandabandonthem,theyaregenerallyunderestimatedanddisregarded–tomakealongstoryshort:anormalexistenceonearthisdeniedtothem.Forsomeofthemit’sreallyhard,forothersit’sslightlyeasier.Someofthemfindhelp,forinstanceorphanswhoarelookedafterbyinstitutionslikeSOS-villagesforchildren.Others,suchasstreetchildren,mighthavethechancetofindahomewithmissionaries.Butgenerally,theirlifeisalwaysa“separatelife”.

Whyisitlikethis?Theansweristhreefold.Firstandforemost,anypersonwhodoesn’tlooklikewhatisconsideredbysocietytobe“normal”willquicklybeexcluded,whateverhisorher‘distinctiveness’mightbe.Secondly,societyhasn’tgotthetimeortheresourcesorthewilltocareofsuchgroups.Eventhosewhothinkthattheyshouldhelpthesepeoplearenotfreefromprejudices.Therearesomanytrainingcentres,eventhosebelongingtoachurchortopublicSocialAffairs,whereyouwillhearpeoplesay:“youcan’ttrainilliteratepeopleforatrade”or“ifwetakeintheselittlebandits(talkingaboutstreetchildren),we’lldestroyourgoodreputation”.Andfinally,thosewhohavelessprejudicesandwhoreallywanttohelpthesepeopledon’tknowhowtodoit,thentheygetquicklyfrustratedbecausethesetargetgroupsarearealchallengefor“normal”pedagogicapproaches.

AtCAPA,particulargroupshadbeentargetedfromtheverybeginning.Theywerethenyoungsinglemothersandyoungmenonthewaytocriminallife.Butitneededthereformofourtrainingsysteminordertoreachtheobjectiveofhelpingthemeffectively.TodayatCAPAweareabletoservealargenumberofvulnerablegroupsordifficulttargetgroupslikestreetchildren,disabledpeople,HIVcarriers,ex-combatantsororphans.Weadmititopenly:whileacceptingtheseparticulargroupsfortraining,weexperiencedmisadventures,failures,frustration,despairandevenfear.Butafteralonglearningprocesslasting20years,wehavefi-

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nallysucceededinmanagingmostofthesegroups.Thesearetheexperiencesthatwewouldliketosharewithothertrainingcentressothatmenandwomenwhoaremarginalisedinsocietycangetarayofhopeintheirlives.

Which approaches and which kind of pedagogy for particular target groups?

Herewewon’tjusttalkabout“difficult”youngpeople,astheyareknowninanytrainingcentreasyoungpeoplewhoareundisciplinedandrebelliousorthosewhodon’tpaythetrainingfeeortheyoungpeoplewhohavebeenforcedintothetrainingbytheirparentsandwhoarethereforenotinterestedinlearningatrade.Herewe’retalkingaboutothercategoriesofpeopleincluding:

1. illiteratepeople2. “hungry”peoplewhowanttolearnatradeasquicklyaspossible3. disabledpeopleandvictimsofstigmatisation4. sickpeopleindespair(HIVcarriers)5. streetchildren6. thievesandotheryoungpeopleinconflictwithlaw7. personswhohavebeentraumatisedbywar8. youngex-combatantsanddemobilisedsoldiers9. sexworkers

WewouldliketohighlightthatCAPAisnotaspecialisedinstitutionwithregardstopsycho-pedagogictreatmentofallthesedifferentgroups.Whateverwerelateherecomesfromourreal experience,fromwhatwehavebeenlivingthroughwhiledealingwiththesepeopleandparticulargroups.Weknowthattheremightbespecialisedprofessionaltheoriesonthesematters,andwedon’tpretendtopossessthebestpedagogicapproach.Ontheotherhand,it’salsoknownthatinAfricawedon’thavemanyvocationaltrainingcentresthatspe-cialiseinthesekindsoftargetgroups.Anditwillprobablybelikethisformanyyearstocome.Tosum-mariseit:thismeansthattheopportunitiesforthesevulnerablegroupsareonlybasedonwhat“ordinary”trainingcentrescandoforthem.Wethinkthatourexamplecanencourageothercentresandmakethemunderstandthatitispossibletosucceedwithsuchspecificanddifficulttargetgroupsevenifyourcentreisn’tspecialised.

Generally,allthegroupsofpeoplelistedabovehavesomesortofdeficitorhandicapwithregardstoanor-malvocationaltraining.Thesedeficitscanbephysicalormental,andtheycanoriginatefromcharacter,motivation,behaviourorattitude,butwhat’scommontoallofthemisthattheycan’tbeapproachedinthesamewayasyounormallyapproachtraineesandyouoftencan’tapplythesametrainingprogrammetothem.Thekeyelementforsuccessisinthefactthatyouhavetounderstandwhatkindofdeficitisbehindtheparticularbehaviourofthesepeople–abehaviourthatquiteoftenmanifestsitselfinstrangeanduncom-monattitudes,tothepointofaggressiveness.

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What we are frequently asked about inclusion

(1) As you have so many really particular target groups : what has made you turn towards these people?

TheconcernforsuchvulnerablegroupsexistedatCAPAfromthebeginning.Ourchurch,theBaptistChurch,hadalreadytargetedyoungsinglemothersandyoungmenonthewaytocriminallifein1982.Crisisandwarhaveincreasedthenumberofmarginalisedpeopleandhavemadetheirsituationevenmoredifficult.Thereisn’tachanceforthemanywhere.CAPAopeneditsdoorstotheminthenameofcompassion,humanismandsolidarity.Today,otherinstitutions–localchurches,NGOs,thestate–bringsuchgroupsofparticularpeopletousfortrainingandwereceivestreetchildren,childrenwhoaresaidtobe“sorcerers”,HIVcarriersordisabledex-soldiers.Othertrainingcentressendusdifficultyoungpeople,presumingthatthenecessarycompetenciesfordealingwithcomplicatedcasesandspecialcircumstancesexistatCAPA.

(2) How do you manage to train illiterate people?Wethinkthateveryonehasinherentintelligenceevenifheorshehasnotbeentoschool.Furthermore,youcanfindnaturaltalentsinpeoplethatmakethemsuitedtocertaintrades.Andjusttosayittheotherwayround:evenifyouareliterateandyouhavehadgoodschoolingbutyoudon’tpossesssomenaturalprerequisites,youwon’tsucceedasacraftsperson.Withilliteratepeoplewefocustheon-the-jobtrainingonpracticalexerciseandweaddliteracycourses.

(3) How could you manage the training for ex-combatants?Itwasquitealonglearningprocessforusandwestumbledthroughfailuresandfrustrationbutfinallywecansaythatwehaveadeepunderstandingofthistargetgroup.Wefirsthadtolearnabouttheirsitu-ationandtheirlives:theirmilitarystyleoforganisation,theirtraumas,andtheirneedtogettrainedandgetaccesstomoneyinahurry.Thenwewereabletodevelopapproachesandtotrythemoutinordertotackletheproblematicsetoffactors.Whenweunderstoodthattheseyoungpeoplewhohadcommittedcruelactsduringwarwerenotonlyperpetratorsbutalsothemselvesvictimsoftheirownacts,weinstalledpsycho-socialmonitoringandsupervisionforthemduringthewholetraining.Thenwealsohadtounder-standthatthelackofdisciplinethattheseyoungpeopleshowedcouldnotbetackledwithnormal“schoolregulations”andwediscoveredthattherightwaywastoinvolvethehighestrankingex-militaryamongthemtoinstallaspecial“militaryin-house”regulation.Althoughtheyweren’tinthearmyanymore,theystillrespondedtoarmycommands.Bytheway,theplussideoftheirmilitarydisciplineisthattheythenreallydidperformattheirbest.Finally,themosteffectiveapproachwiththemispracticalexerciseandthetrainingbyobjectiveastheyarealwaysinahurrytofinishtrainingandgetmoneybyworking.

(4) In your context, there must be many trainees who are traumatised by war: how do you succeed in training them?

Weadmitthatittookussometimebeforeweunderstoodthattraumatisationcanbearealobstacletotrain-ing.Werecognisedthisthankstotheconsultantwhohasprovideduswithexpertsupportduringtheprocess

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ofreform.Beforethat,wehadbeendealingwithtraumatisedtraineeswhofortheirpartwerechallengingourtrainerstothelimits.Whenwefinallyrecognisedtheirsituationandwhenweunderstoodthatourtrainerscouldnothandlethissituation,thenweaskedforexternalsupporttotrainourtrainersinhowtodealwithtraumatisedpeople.Wetheninstalledpsycho-socialassistanceforthem,too.

(5) What about disabled ex-soldiers: how do they behave in training and what kind of tactics are needed to handle them?

Thistargetgroupcametousaftertheex-combatants.Thisishowwewereabletousetheexperiencewiththelatterinordertodealwiththisquitespecialgroup.Thesepeopleshowparticularattitudeslike:traumatisa-tion,hunger,hurrytogetahead,despairoflifeandarealmilitarykindofspiritandbehaviour.Therefore,thesameapproachasfortheex-combatantsisused:theirownorganisingofthemselvesandthepsycho-socialassistanceduringthetraining.Theircharacterandthefactthattheydon’thaveotherprofessionalchoicestoassurealivingmeansthattheyareveryhardworkersintrainingandthattheyalwayschooseshorttrainingcourses.

(6) You are training women who were raped and people carrying HIV, are these groups not too delicate for a vocational training centre?

It’sright,aslongastheyarehauntedbytheirtraumas,thesegroupsarereallydelicatetohandle.Ifyouwanttosucceedintrainingthesepeople,youfirsthavetoknowthemverywellandtobeabletoputyourselfintheirposition,whichmeans:listentothem,understandthemandgetfamiliarwiththem.Aswithothertrau-matisedpeople,thereisaneedforpsycho-socialassistance.Itisparticularlyimportantthattheothertraineesdon’tbecomeawareoftheirsituation.ForpeoplewithHIVthisisimportantinordertoavoidstigmatisa-tion.Thistargetgroupisalsohungryalltime,sothisisanotheraspectthatatrainingcentrehastosomehowtackle.

(7) Is it really worthwhile making efforts in order to train such uncommon groups such as pygmies?Wethinkitis.Inourmilieu,pygmiesareverymarginalised.Theyarestigmatisedanddon’thaveanyem-ploymentalternativessothattheycan’thaveanincomeinordertoliveasfullyfledgedcitizenslikeeve-rybody.Butifyouwanttodealwiththem,youhavetoknowabouttheircharacteristics,howtheyareandhowtheybehave.Youshouldconductprofoundresearchonanethnicgroupsuchasthistoknowwhattheirrealneedsare,assometimestheneedsmightnotbewhatyouthinkandalsonotalwayswhattheyexpressthemselves.Particularlywiththeethnicgroupofpygmies,youhavetogoverycarefully,monitoringeachstepandnotgetfrustratedifyou’vegonethewrongway,asthisgroupisnotalwayseasytoreadinitsac-tionsandtheylivealifethatfocusesthepresent.Vocationalorskillstrainingcanonlybesomethingthatisintimatelyrelatedtothesatisfactionofday-to-dayneeds.

(8) As you are training ex-combatants and female rape victims at the very same place, don’t you think that this is quite delicate and contradictory?

Itistrue,atCAPAweoftenhavetargetgroupswithopposingcharacteristicscoexistingatthesameplacefortraining.It’slikeputtingtormentersandvictimstogether.EverybodyknowsthatwomeninD.R.ofCongowererapedbysoldiersandcombatants.Weonlymanagetohavethesetwoquiteopposedgroupsinourcompoundbyhandlingtheiridentitieswithextremediscretion.Wetakemuchcarenottomakeitknownthattherearerapevictimsamongthefemaletrainees.Wealsotakecarethatthesetwogroupsdon’tmeet,thisiswhytheyarephysicallyseparatedevenwithseparateentrancesandexit.Welearntthatthescarsoftraumatismrelatedtosexualviolencedon’thealquicklyandparticularlynotwhenthereisnopunishmentontheonesideandnoreparationontheotherside.

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The illiterate

Current issues

Onecouldpresumethatnowadaystherearen’tmanypeopleleft,particularlynotmanyyoungpeople,whocan’treadorwrite.However,therearestillilliteratepeople,particularlyinruralareas.Sometimestheymighthavebeentoschoolbutonlyforfewyearsandthustheyareconsideredtobe“illiterate”astheyhavedif-ficultyreadingandwriting.Managersoftrainingcentresanddirectorsofvocationalschoolsquicklycatego-risetheseyoungpeopleas“notadmissible”,astheyareconvincedthatyouhavetobeliterateinordertolearnatrade.Thus,thetestsforentryusuallydon’ttrytodetectthetalentorthe“manualintelligence”ofthecandidatebutratherfollowacademicrules,presumingthatacandidateisabletoreadandwrite.Thisblocksthewayforilliteratepeople.

What is the challenge with regards to the training of illiterate people?

Thefirstchallengeisnotatechnicalonebuttheneedtoovercomeprejudice:theperceptionofvocationaltrainingas“academic”,theprejudicethatanilliteratecannotlearnatrade.Whenwetalkhereof“preju-dice”soitisbecauseinAfricawehaveplentyofcarpenters,carmechanics,masons,dressmakersorhair-dresserswhohavebecomemastercraftspeopleanddotheirjobwellwithouteverhavingbeentoschool.Whenpeoplemakesuchgeneralisedjudgementsabout“tradeandilliteratepeople”,theyarethinkingandactingasifalltradesarequitesimilarandshouldbeseenasthesamething.However,thereisadifferencebetweenelectronicsandmasonry,betweenrefrigerationandcarpentry,andthisdifferencealsoallowsustodifferentiatewithregardstotheprerequisitesthatsomeonehastodemonstrateifhewantstolearntherespectivetrade.Furthermore,thereisadifferenceifagraduatewantstogetajobinabigenterpriseorifhewantstobeself-employedinavillage,andthisdifferencelargelyinfluencesthedegreeofknowledgethatheneedstohave.Whenvocationaltrainingisregardedas“academic”thentheperceptionofitbecomesapre-establishedpat-ternthatisseenastheonlyalternative:atrainingofratherlongduration,basedonacurriculumthatneces-sarilyhastoincludetheoryandpractice.Thechallengewithregardstoilliteratepeoplemeans,therefore,thatatraininginstitutionshoulddevelopflexibilityandbeabletoofferpracticalcoursestothistargetgroup.

Which are the approaches at CAPA with illiterate people?

Theapproachesforintegrationandtrainingofilliteratepeoplefollowseveralstages:

Admission:Thecandidatesarereceivedonebyone,welistentothemandtalkwiththeminordertoknowasmuchaspossibleabouttheirlivesandtoencouragethemtolearnatrade.We’veseenfromtheirattitudesandwhattheysaythattheytendtohaveinferioritycomplexesandtrytohidetheirilliteracy.Usually,theyspendalongtimeexplainingwhytheyareilliterate,blamingtheirparents,andtheyhaveaveryangryattitude.Whenwearefinallyabletoestablishacertaintrustfulrelationship,theyaskiftheyevercanhaveachancetolearnatradealthoughtheyhaven’tbeentoschool.

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Meeting illiterate trainees and illiterate craftspeople:Atthesecondstageofthisprocesswemakethemvisitotherilliteratepeoplewhoarelearningthetradeorpractisingit.Talkingtothesepeoplegivesthemhopeandencouragementandtheystarttotrustintheirownabilitiestolearnatradeandtopractiseit.

Vocational guidance:Atthisstage,thecandidatesevaluatetheirowncapacities,forinstancephysicalaptitudes,andrevealwhichkindoftradetheywouldliketolearn.Thepedagogicdepartmentadvisesthemandtogetheratradeischosenforthem.Generally,thetrainingcoursesthattheychooseare:masonry,carpentry,woodcarving,leatherworkandshoemaking.

The training:Usually,theirtrainingisonthejobtrainingthatwecomplementwithshorttheoreticalcoursesinethicsandcross-cuttingissueslikeenvironmentalprotection,peacebuilding,awareness-raisingaboutHIV/AIDSetc.Wealsoaddsomeverybasic“theoretical”instructionlikenumbers,money,mentalarithmetic,theuseofameasuringtapeandsoon.Wealsorecommendthattheyjoinliteracyclassesthataregenerallyofferedintheregion.Thedurationoftrainingdependsonthetradetheyhavechosenbutitnormallydoesn’texceed6monthswith1.5monthsofinternship.

Ifwewereaskedtodescribethetrainingattitudeofilliteratepeople,wewouldsaythattheyarereallyhardworkers,theyareextremelyhappytohaveachancetotacklethedeficitsintheirlivesandtheyshowahighcapacityformemorisingthings.Inordertosmoothintegration,thepedagogicdepartmentmakesparticulareffortstosensitisetheothertraineessothattheyacceptthese“different”peopleandwon’tdis-criminateagainstthembecauseoftheirilliteracy.




The main problem is the prejudice that trainers show towards illiterate people

• Thebestwaytotacklethisproblemistoshowthemcasesthathavesucceeded.Suchcasesshouldthereforebehighlightedinordertoeliminateprejudices.

• Alwaysallowsomespacefortrialanderrorasyoucanalsolearnalotfromilliteratepeople.

Trainers who never have been in contact with such a target group

• Usually,thesetrainersareconvincedwhentheyseethehighcapaci-tyofilliteratepeopletoquicklyabsorbinformationandtomemoriseverbalinstructionsverywell.

• Trainersshouldbepreparedforthisparticular“mission”ofthecentre.

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• Bringthesetrainerstogetherwiththeircolleagueswhosucceededwellintrainingilliteratepeoplesothattheycandiscussteachingexperiences.

• Encouragethetrainerstoexperience,toanalyseobstaclesinthiskindoftrainingandtosearchforsolutionshowtoovercomethem.Thiswillincreasetheircapacityforintelligentproblemsolving.

• Incitetrainerstocometogetherandtoidentifyobstaclessotheycanfindsolutionsasateam.

• Makesurethatthetrainersaremonitoredandassistedsothattheycangetadviceifnecessary.

Sometimes it turns out to be difficult when literate and illiterate people are close to each other in training

• Itisadvisabletoseparatethegroups,particularlywithregardstotheoreticalsubjects.

• Sensitiseallpartiesinthetrainingcentretolivingpeacefullytogetherandtoacceptdifferences;highlightthevalueofmoralsupporttotheweak.

• Bringoutthebestofboth,theliterateandtheilliterate,andtheircontributiontothetrainingcentreandtosocietybecauseinlifetheweakneedthestrongandthestrongneedtheweak.

It happens that literate trainees deride the illit-erate ones and that this creates sort of separate “castes” within the cen-tre

• Youcansmooththingsoutbyraisingawarenessamongthepeoplemakingfunoftheothersandbyencouragingtheotheronestoreplywithjokessothatitratherbecomesagameinsteadofgeneratingconflict.

• Anothercreativesolution:“Award”thenamesofilliteratepeoplewhohavesucceededwellinlifetotheilliteratetrainees,highlight-ingthesimilarities.

• Organisesituationswhereliterateandilliteratepeoplehavetoworktogethercompletingeachothersuchassports,culturalevents,churchservicesetc.

You may encounter the problem of language in training as most of the time illiterate people only talk local languag-es and trainers might not be familiar with these dialects

• Inanycaseitisveryimportantthattraineesunderstandthe“traininglanguage”well.

• Trainingmodulesshouldonlybeallocatedtotrainerswhospeakthesamelanguageastheilliteratetraineesandwhoareabletocommu-nicatewellwiththem.

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• Thetrainingcentreshouldhaveallmodulesthatarewritteninof-ficiallanguagestranslatedsothatilliteratetraineeshavethesamechancetolearnwell.

Be well aware that the training of illiterate people can be very successful

1 Becoming a plumber at the age of 61 – and an excellent one at that!

Asflexibilityisoneofthemaincharacteristicsofourtrainingcentre,weareoftheopinionthatagedoesn’tmatter.Dependingonthespecificneedsandthepersonalmotivationofacandidate,anyonecanbeenrolled.Thus,whenwewereenrollingthecandidatesforplumbing,Mr.Etienneappeared,aged61years.Consid-eringhisadvancedage,theenrolmentcommitteetriedtodiscouragehim.Buthedidn’tletupandwenttoseethedirector.ThedirectorwascurioustoseehowsuchanexperiencewouldturnoutandacceptedMr.Etienneasatrainee.Notwithstandingalltheremarksoftheyoungpeoplewhoweresteadilyteasinghimtogohomeandtorest,hestucktothetrainingandshowedthathewasquitegoodinpractice.Whenitcametothepracticalpartofthejuryforcertification,Mr.Etienneturnedouttobethebesttraineeofhisyear.Tocelebratehissuccessandhiscourage,hereceivedatoolkitforfreefromCAPAandfromthestatedepartment.Today,Mr.Etiennehasthereputationofbeingoneofthebestplumbersinthecity.Heishonestinhisworkandverymuchindemand.Hehasateamoffourplumbersandreceivesourtraineesforinternship.

2 A desperate widow without any knowledge or schooling becomes a great dressmaker

OnedaywereceivedMs.Rose,awidowwithninechildrenwhowasquitedesperatebecauseofhersituationinlife.Shewantedtolearndressmaking.Weacceptedherbuteveryonewasconvincedthatshewouldnotcompletethetraining.Withoutanyschoolingasabasis,Ms.Rosehadbeentakeninforanonthejobtraining.Shesettoworkandgothercertificate.Attheceremonyforcertification,CAPAgaveherasewingmachineandsoshestartedtoworkonherown.Todayshepossesseseight(8)machinesandshehastwoemployees.Shealsotrainedtwoofherdaughterswhoweresinglemothers.Todaysheisquitefine,andshehasanincome,lookshappyandiscourtedbymen,althoughnobodyhadtakenanynoticeofherbefore.

3 A difficult situation with literate and illiterate trainees “being together” at the beginning then turns into a good experience

Incarmechanicsyou’llnormallyonlyfindliteratetrainees,accordingtotherequirementsofthistrade.Despiteofthis,weacceptedthreeilliterateadultsfortrainingonthejobfivemonthsago.Theyperformedquitewellinpractice.Despitethis,theyoungliteratetraineeswereteasingandderidingtheolderilliterate

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traineesallthetimeduringthepracticalexercises.Atthebeginning,theilliteratetraineesfeltbadandkeptsilent.Butthenoneofthetrainersencouragedthemjusttoreply.Fromthatdayonyoucouldhearwordsflyinginthegarage:the“anti-blackboard”wasrepliedtowith“Frenchlanguagedoesn’tproducemoney”.Sometimelater,afootballmatchtookplaceatCAPA,withtheopposingteambeingahighermedicalinstitute.Athalftimeandeveninthesecondhalf,thescorewaszeroandtheCAPAteambecamedesper-atebecausetheyreallywantedtowinthegame.Fourminutesbeforetheend,itwasMr.Tomis,oneoftheilliteratetrainees,whoscoredthedecisivegoal.Hebecametherespectedstar.Fromthisdayon,allteasingofilliteratetraineescametoanendandthereisnowpeacefulcoexistence.Thistaughtustheimportanceofbringingtogetherpeoplewithdifferentcharacteristicsateventswheretheycanexperienceteamworkandcommonobjectivesandbecomeclosertoeachother.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of in dealing with illiterate people • Don’tfallpreytotheprejudicethatonlypeoplewhowenttoschoolcanlearnatrade.• Ifpossible,thefactthattheyareilliterateshouldnotberevealedtoothers.• Avoidputtingliterateandilliteratetraineestogetherinaclass.

What facilitates success• Illiteratepeoplefeelmorefreeandlearnbetterwhentheyaretrainedtogetherwithotherilliterate

people.• Itishelpfultosensitiseliteratepeopletoacceptilliteratepeople.• Convinceliteratepeopleandencourageilliteratepeoplebyhighlightingcasesofsuccessfulcrafts-

peoplewhohaven’tbeentoschool.• Organisecommoneventswithliterateandilliteratetrainees.

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People suffering from trauma or with other psychological problems

Current issues

Intraining,youmightalwayshavesomeindividualswhohavepsychologicalproblemsbutherewearetalkingaboutamassphenomenonthatisasituationwhereyoumeetalargenumberoftraumatisedpeople.Thisismainlythecaseinwarorpost-warregionsorafteranaturaldisaster.Youmightthenhavepeoplewhohavesurvivedgenocide,womenwhowerestrategicallyrapedincivilwarorsurvivorsofavolcaniceruptionorofatsunami.Suchtraumaticeventsaffectthehumanbeingdeeplytoadegreewherehispureexistencemightbeques-tioned.Someofthemmanagetogetoutofit,whileotherswillbedisorientedforalongtimeandthentherearethosewhowillneverovercomeit.Itseems,however,thatthedestructivepowerofthisphenomenonisrarelytakenintoaccountandyouwillfindonlyfewprojectsthathavebeeninitiatedtotacklethissevereproblem,inparticular.Whilesomepeopledon’tperceivethatsuchpersonsneedpsychologicalassistanceandhelp,othersmaybeawareofitbuttheydon’tknowwhattodo.Thismeansthatthesocialandpubliclifethatthesepersonshavetolivewillbethesameasbeforebutinrealityitcannotbelikethatformostofthem.Sadtosay,thedegreeofawarenessforthisproblemisnotreallymuchhigherwithinthedevelop-mentcommunitythanitisinthegeneralpopulation.Forinstance,incrediblylargeamountsofmoneywereinvestedinmaterialreconstructionprojectsafterthetsunamiin2009,butpeoplewhosuggestedprojectstoassisttraumatisedpeoplewhohadnotonlylosttheirhousesandtheirbusinessesbuttheirwholefamiliesbarelyreceivedanymoney.IntheeastoftheD.R.ofCongo,manywomenandgirlswererapedbymilitias,asastrategyofwar.Thebrutalityandhumiliationthatthesewomenhadtosuffercan’tevenbeputintowords.Howcanoneim-aginethatthesegirlsorwomenareabletositdownquietlyinatrainingroomtolearntheirlessonsjustlikeanybodyelse?

What is the specific challenge with regards to vocational training of people who are traumatised or who have other psychological problems?Thechallengeistorecogniseatraumatisedperson,thatis:tobeabletointerpretthesignsoftraumatism.Thenyoushouldsearchforspecialistswhomaygiveadviceandassistancesothatthetrainingcentrecanrespondtothisprobleminanadequatewayinordertohelpthesepeopleinrebuildingtheirlives.

Which approaches are used at CAPA in order to help traumatised people or people with psychological problems to complete their training?

Themainapproachandtheonethatappearstoustobetheappropriatesolutionisprofessionalpsycho-socialassistancethatremainsanall-encompassingaidduringallthestagesoftraining.QuiteoftensuchtargetgroupsarebroughttousbyNGOsorinstitutionsthatrevealthedelicatesituationofthesepersonstous.Oftenit’stheissueofrapeand/orofwomenwhohavebeenabandonedbytheirhus-bands.What’sevensadderisthatthesewomenhaveveryoftenbecomeHIVcarriersasaresultofthese

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acts.Othertimeswereceiveofficiallydemobilisedex-soldiersoryoungmenwhodesertedthearmy.Wethenlistentothemindividuallyandcarefullytolearnabouttheirlifeandtogetanideaaboutthedegreeoftheproblem.WecanonlydothisbecausethestaffatCAPAhasbeentrainedinthis.Whenwe’vecometoourconclusionsabouttheirmentalstateandaboutthedegreeoftheirtroubles,andbeforestartingwiththetraining,wesitwiththemtodowhatwecall“debriefing”.Thisisaprocedurethatwehavelearntasatooltofightagainsttraumatisation.It’saspecialkindofintensivelisteningtothepersonwithinanappropriatesettingafterenoughtrusthasbeenbuiltthatthepersoncanexpressallthedistressandsuffering.Thepsychosocialassistancerunsthroughthetrainingfromthebeginningtotheend.Itevenreachesthefamilyofthetraumatisedperson.Thereshouldbe(mustbe)talkswiththerelativeswhoalsohavetoplaytheirroleinitinordertohelpthesepeopleinreintegration.Whenitcomestothechoiceoftraining,welistentotheirwishesandtrytofindanadequatesolutionforeachoneofthem.Sometimesthisevencanmeanthatwedon’ttrainapersonbecausehisorherconditiondoesn’tallowforit.Thesetraumatisedpeopleshouldn’tbeseparatedfromtheothertrainees,asthishelpsthembesttoovercometheirtroublesandtoreintegrateintolife.Butthiscertainlymeansthatyouneedtrainerswhoknowhowtodealwiththistargetgroup.AtCAPAweaskedforprofessionalsupportfromspecialistswhotrainedourtrainers.Seeappendix:“Afewprinciplesofpsychosocialassistancefortraumatisedpeople”.




These people may sometimes show a hos-tile or even aggressive behaviour that is not always quickly under-stood

• Asthisunknownbehaviourhasitsoriginintheirparticularcondi-tion,youshouldjusttrytoputupwithitandtotolerateit.Youmightonlyovercomethisproblembygettingfamiliarwiththeminasortofa“friendshipbyobjectives”.

• Thesepeopleneedintensivelisteningsothatonedaytheycantrustthestaffassistingthemandthepeopletrainingthem.

• Whentheyareinthiskindof“hostile”period,theyshouldnotbeleftalonebutbeassistedinordertopreventextremebehaviour.

Sometimes these kinds of people with psycho-logical problems can misbehave and can even damage things in the centre or belonging to other people outside

• Everybodyworkingatthetrainingcentreshouldbesensitisedtothespecialmissionwithregardstothesepersonsandshouldbetoldthattheyneedhelpeveniftheiractsmaynotmakeitseemlikethis.

• Whentheymisbehave,theyshouldbereprimandedindividuallyandwithlotsofdelicacysonottoworsentheirtraumatism.

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• Thetrainingcentrehastobearthedamagesifthereareanyandre-pairit;theirsponsors,whoquiteoftenaretheirparentsorguardian,canalsobeaskedforhelp.

Another phenomenon of traumatisation is that the person acts passively and doesn’t appear interested in anything

• Aslongasapersonisinanacutestateoftraumatisation,trainingcannotsucceed.Thetrainingcentrehastointegratepsychosocialas-sistanceintoitsactions,becausethat’stheonlywaythatthetrainingofpeoplewithexacerbatedtraumatismcanbehandled.

• Thestaffandthetrainersmustbetrainedinhowtodealwiththesekindsofpeopleorgroups.Thisisn’tjustimportanttogetonwiththesepersons,it’salsoimportanttoavoidtrainersthemselvesget-tingtraumatisedasasecondaryeffect.

• The“debriefing”andthepsychosocialassistancemustbeindividu-alisedaccordingtotherespectivecases.

• Wheneverpossible,thetrainingcentreshouldhaveapsychologistamongitsstaff,thiswouldbethemostqualifiedsolutionwithre-gardstothiskindofpsychosocialassistance.

People who are HIV carriers are always hungry and they don’t have physical endur-ance

• PeoplewhoareHIVcarriersareanotherdifficultandquitedelicatetargetgroupfortraining.Tomanagethequestionofthembeinghun-gryallthetime,youhavetoaskthemtocometothetrainingwithsomefoodsothattheycanshareitduringrecreationtime.

• Forthosewhohaven’tgotanything,weatCAPAfoundthesolutionwastogivethemtoeat;weuseoursmallrestaurantwherethecook-ingtrainingisdoneforthis.

Quite often trainers don’t like these target groups and reject them directly or in an indi-rect way

• Thereissomehardworktobecarriedouttomaketrainersacceptthesetargetgroupsandtomakethemworkeffectivelywiththem.

• Therehastobestrategicplanningbeforethetraininginordertoidentifythedifferenttargetgroups.Thestaffateverylevelmustbestrategicallyalignedwithregardstotherelationshipwiththesegroupsandadequatebehaviour.Intellectuallobbyingisnotenough.Asortof“institutionalvocation”mustbecreated,andevenanatti-tudeoflovetowardsthesepersons,similartothevocationthatchar-acterisesmedicalstaff.

• Duringthetraining,themonitoringandevaluationunithastoob-servetherelationsbetweenthestaff,thetrainersandthetargetgroupinordertoassurethatthereisn’tanyrejectionandthateverythinggoestherightwaysothatthetrainingobjectivescanbeachieved.

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Assistance, training and awareness-raising in favour of traumatised women

1) How a rape victim who had been rejected by her husband could be rehabilitated after training and could get back home

In2004,weexperiencedasadcasethatfortunatelyhadahappyending.Awomancametousaskingtobetrainedindressmaking.HernamewasJulienne.Shehadbeenvictimofrapeinhervillagebythearmedmilitiaandherhusbandhadchasedherawayashedidn’twantawifewhohadbeenraped.Consequently,shefledtothecityinordertohidethehumiliationthatshehadexperiencedinhervillage.Wetookherinandshewastrained.Aswesawthatshewasreallygoodindressmaking,wesupportedherwithasewingmachineattheendofhertrainingandwegavehersomematerialsothatshecouldstartasmallbusiness.WhenshewasalreadyautonomouslyactiveinherworkshopinBukavu,wewenttoseeherhusband.Wesensitisedhimwithregardstothefactthathiswifewasinnocentinwhathadhappenedtoher.Asaresultofthisandalsoduetothefactthathiswifewasgeneratingincome,hetookherbacktothevillage.Today,thiswomanhasaquitebigworkshopintheRuziziplain,inSouthKivu.

2) A woman who is an HIV carrier is assisted with regards to her condition, then she decides to reveal her condition and to raise awareness in other people

Ms.BijouwasanHIVcarrier.SheaskedtobeenrolledfortrainingatCAPAbutherconditionwasthatno-bodyshouldknowaboutherbeingHIVcarrier.WeusuallyhavesessionsforsensitisationaboutHIV/AIDSforallthepeopleworkingandlearningatCAPAandonceMs.Bijouattendedoneofthese.Wewerethenverysurprisedwhensheherselfrevealedherconditionpublicly.Itwasaneffectduetothepsychosocialassistancethatshehadbenefittedfromduringthetraining.Shestartedtogetinvolvedinsensitisingyoungpeopleabouthowinfectionhappensandshealwaystalkedaboutherownsituation.Everybodywasveryimpressedbyhercourageandsincethenwealwaysinvitehertothesetypesofmeetingsandevents.Itisobviousthatshehasovercomehertraumaticsituationandshenowwantstobehelpfulinsociety.

3) A widow of a military officer becomes a mason

Ms.Mamiehadbeenanofficerinwarandshealsohadbeenthewifeofanofficer.Herhusbandwaskilledinwar.Afterhavingbeendemobilisedfromthearmysheshowedstrongsignsoftraumatisation,aswellasbeingawidowwithninechildrentofeed.Thismadehercometousaskingtobeenrolledinmasonry.Thepsychosocialassistancewithherwassuccessfulandshebecameagoodmason.HerexamplemadeotherwidowsofmilitarypeoplecometoCAPAaskingtobetrainedonthejobinmasonry.Wekeptherasatraineronthejobandshehelpsusinthepsychosocialassistancewithcasessimilartohers.Sheisawell-knownmasoninthecityandisinhighdemand.

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Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of when dealing with traumatised people • Don’tbeinahurrywiththem.Eveniftheycomefortraining,thisissecondary–firstofallit’stheir

stateofmindthatshouldbehealed.• Avoid,byallmeans,traumatisingthiskindofapersonevenmore.• Don’tchasetraumatisedpeopleawayiftheymisbehaveoriftheydamagethings:theydon’tdoit

consciouslyandifyoupunishthem,theirconditionwillgetworseuntilitcouldbeirreparable.• Payattentiontonotusingpeopleastrainerswhoaretraumatisedthemselves.

What facilitates success with traumatised people• It’sabsolutelynecessaryforthepsychosocialassistancetoreachouttothefamilymembersinorder

tosensitisethemandtogettheirsupport.• Inanyregionofcrisisandwar,psychosocialassistanceshouldbeapermanentandsustainablepartof

atrainingsystem.• Accordingtothespecificcontext(likeafterwar),itturnssometimesouttobeusefultofirst“de-trau-

matise”thetrainerswhohavetoworkwithtraumatisedtargetgroups.

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Demobilised soldiers and ex-combatants

Current issues

Itisn’tasecretinAfricathatchildrenandyoungmenareusedascombatantsinmilitia.SomanycasesareknowninCongo,Uganda,CentralAfricanRepublic,Liberia,SierraLeoniaorelsewhere.Theeffectsarehorrible.Thefactthattheyhaven’thadanychildhoodorjoyfuladolescenceappearstobelesssadcom-paredtothephysicalandemotionaldestructionoftheseyoungpeople.Theexhaustinglifeinthejungle,alcoholanddrugsaffectthebody.Gunsandthebrutalityofwardamagetheirsouls,sometimesforever.Youngmenwhohadbeencapturedandthenforcedtobeararmsarescared,disorientedandfrightened,whilethosewhojoinedthemilitiavoluntarilycomebackaslittlebosses,drunkfromthepowerthatthegunsintheirhandshavegiventhem–thosegunsthatallowedthemtogetanythingwhattheywantedatanytime,immediately.Asidefromtheseeffects,bothgroupsaretraumatised–theonelotbecausetheyhadbeenforcedtofollowmilitia,theothersbecausetheycan’tgetridofallthesehorriblepicturesintheirheadsthatshowthemthecruel,barbaricactsthattheyhavecommitted.Thefirstgroupofpeoplehavetobetreatedgentlyandcarefully,buttheyaregenerallyquitedocile,whilethesecondgroupareextremelychallengingforthewholeinstitution.Everybodywantstohelpthefirstgroupwhoareconsideredasvictims.Whenpeopledecidetohelpthesecondgroup,however,itisbecauseeverybodyisafraidofwhattheycouldbecomeinsocietyiftheydon’tsomehowfindtheirway.Andthisistrue.Youngmenwhoarerejectedbysociety,hadbeenaccustomedtogunsandwhodon’thaveanyperspectivesintheirlives,arepure“socialdynamite”.

What is the particular challenge for the vocational training of demobilised soldiers and ex-combatants?

Firstofall,thechallengeistounderstandhowdemobilisedsoldiersandex-combatantsthink,toknowwhatguidestheiractsandtounderstandthatyoucan’tdealwiththeseyoungmenlikeyoudowithothers.Managingtheseyoungmencanbecomparedtoapsycho-pedagogicmasterpiece:youhavetoadaptwith-outfollowing,confrontwithoutprovoking,holdoffwithoutsurrendering.Tomakeitshort:youhavetotamethemwhiletheythemselveshavetofeelcompletelyautonomousandconvincedthatthey’vegottenoneoveronyou.

What main approaches have been used at CAPA with regards to demobilised soldiers and ex-combatants?

AtCAPAwehadtodealwithyoungsoldierswhohadbeenofficiallydemobilisedaswellaswithyoungmenwhothemselveshaveleftthearmyormilitiaandwhomyoucouldalsocall“deserters”.Tohelpthemgetonboardwithvocationaltraining,wefirsttrytofindoutwhattheirindividualneedsare.Aswithothercandidates,wegivethematourtoshowthemthedifferenttrainingoptionsandafterthis,wethencounselthemaccordingtotheirwishes,theiraptitudesandtheirbackground.

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Beforestartingthetraining,weregularlyapplytheprocedurethatweusewithtraumatisedpeople,listen-ingtothemanddoingpsychosocialdebriefing.Psychosocialassistanceisplannedforthistargetgroup’swholetrainingperiod.Beforetheirtrainingstarts,we“prepare”thetrainersaswellastheothertraineesatthecentretoacceptthesequiteparticular“newcomers”.Wealsosensitisetheex-combatantsandtrytomakethemunderstandthattheyhavetoadapttoalifeincommunitywiththepeoplethey’llmeetatthecentre.Thetrainerssittogethertodiscusswhatkindofpedagogicapproachestheyshouldusewiththesenewcandidatesinordertogetthebestresult.

Aswehadexperiencedinthepast,thistargetgroupdoesn’trespectrulesthatarenottheirs,soweapplyaquiteparticularprocedurewithregardstothem:theyareaskedtodesigntheirowncodeofconductthatregulatestheirbehaviourwithinthecompoundtoguaranteethatthetraininggoessmoothlyandeveryonegetsonwellinthecentre.Theythemselveswillchoosetheir“commander”,assuringthatthedisciplinethatheestablisheswillbeimplementedandtheruleswillbeobserved.Theydon’tevenneedanyguidanceinthis,astheyalwaysknowwhotoselectforthis:itwillalwaysbetheonewhohadthehighestrankingwhentheyhadbeeninthearmy.Byestablishingthisorder,basedontheirownresponsibility,youwillfindthatthistargetgroupisextremelydisciplined.Peoplewhohavebeeninthearmyorwithamilitiaarecharacterisedbyaveryparticularattitude:havingbeenusedtothefactthatagunintheirhandsgivesawhatevertheywantrightaway,theywanttoseeimmediateresultsevenintraining.Itmeansthatforthistargetgroupyouonlycanoffershortcoursesthatallowthemtolearnthetradequicklyandtopractiseitassoonaspossibleinordertohave“immediateincome”.




Violent attitudes and aggressiveness of this target group

• Justtolerateitatthebeginning.

• Thentrytogetfamiliarwiththemthroughakindof“friendshipbyobjectives”.

• Makethemestablishacodeofconductthatiscontrolledbythe“highestranking”officeramongthem,whowillassuredisciplineandrespect.

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• Immediatelyintegratepsychosocialmonitoringthatincludesallthestepsusedwithtraumatisedpeopleandassurepsychosocialassist-anceduringthewholetraining.

A target group that hasn’t got any patience to endure regular train-ing

• Thebestmethodtohandlethosewhoareimpatientistochallengetheirownperformancebytellingthemthateverythingdependsontheirowncapabilitytolearnquicklyandtomaketheproducts.Thetrainershouldjustgivethemthetask,letthemtryandobservetogetherwiththemhowitgoeson.Theywillfinallynoticebythem-selvesthatextremehurrydoesn’tleadanywhere.

• Asarule,targetgroupswhowanttolearnatradequicklyshouldbeorientedtowardsskilltrainingfortradesandactivitiesthatareeasytolearnandeasytopractise.

Their sense of superior-ity: they always consid-er themselves superior to civilians

• Atthebeginning,theyshouldjustbeacceptedastheyare.

• Themoretheyhavetofacethechallengesoftraining,themoretheirsenseofsuperioritywillbereduced.

• Youshouldputupwiththisforacertainperiodoftimeandwaitun-tilthemilitaryhabitsandthememoriesofthetimeinthearmyhavebecome“adistantmemory”forthem.

• Duringtrainingtheyshouldconsciouslybe“mixed”withcivilianssothatworkingtogetherwillmakethemgraduallyfeellikecivil-ians,too.

The socio-professional insertion of graduates belonging to this target group often fails

• Forex-combatants,follow-uphaseventobecloserandmoreintensive.

• Measurestargetingsocio-professionalinsertionhavetobedevel-opedbeforeandduringthetraininginordertoassureintegrationintothepracticeofthelearnttrade.

The community is suspicious of ex-com-batants, which also hin-ders successful inser-tion into professional life

• Atwofoldsensitisationisneeded:ontheonehand,thedemobilisedyoungmenhavetobepreparedforwhattheywillencounterinthecommunityandforwhatsocietyisthinkingaboutthem.Youhavetohelpthembytellingthemhowtheycanactinordertotacklethismistrustinsociety.

• Ontheotherhand,thecommunityalsohastobesensitisedtomakethemaccepttheseyoungmenandtounderstandthattheyarenolongermilitarypeoplebutcivilianswhoarelookingforintegrationintosociety.

• Thepsychosocialandprofessionalfollow-upshouldcontinueuntiltheseyoungmenarereallyinsertedintosociety.

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Three cases of ex-soldiers/ex-combatants who were trained at CAPA

1) How vocational training changed the recalcitrant attitude of a former sergeant, making him become a useful aid in handling ex-combatants

Mr.Hermannwasaformermastersergeant.Hewasquitedifficultandrecalcitrantatthebeginningofhistraininginleatherwork.However,whathappenedlateronisworthwhilerelating.Initially,helordeditovereveryoneandheactedlikehewasbetterthanthetrainers.Thisattitudeappearedbeunwaveringwhenhestartedhistraining.Lateron,duringthetraining,whenhenoticedthathehadtoworkhardandtobepersistent,heforgotmoreandmoreabouthismilitarycareer.Hethenbecamedisciplinedandkepthistraineecolleaguesinorder.Whenwenoticedthathehadbecomeaveryusefulhelperforusbycontributingtothedisciplineofotherex-combatants,wedecidedtoemployhimasatrainer.Today,hehelpsusinoureffortsinintegratingthistargetgroupandweemployhimasapermanentstaffmember.

2) A young ex-combatant asks the community’s forgiveness for having raped women and he succeeds in restarting his life

Mr.Boscowasanex-combatantoftheMaï-Maï,arebelliousmilitiaofthattime.Hehadaskedtobetrainedincarpentryandweacceptedhim.Duringthedebriefing,hehadadmittedtorapingmanywomen,andhadevenbeencalled“Baker”,whichisalocalslangnameforarapist,byhiscompanions.Onedaywhenweweredoingsomepublicsensitisationactivitiestofightagainstgender-basedviolence,hesuddenlystartedtocryandwantedustolethimaskforpardon.Hethenstartedtotalkaboutwhathehaddoneinthemilitiaandthathehadrapedsomanywomen.Hepubliclyaskedthewomenwhowerepresentforforgiveness.Thepsychosocialassistanceduringthetrainingalsohelpedhimandhebecameagoodcarpenter.Thismadeitpossibleforhimtoorganisehiswedding,whichhecelebratedin2013.

3) The socio-professional insertion of demobilised young men doesn’t always succeed

Mr.Emmanuelhadbeendemobilisedfromthearmy.Wethentrainedhimasatailorandhelpedhimtoset-tledownforself-employment.Butsoonafterthis,wewereverysurprisedwhenwemethimagainwear-inghismilitaryuniform,ashehadreturnedtothearmy.Weaskedhimwhyhe’ddonethis.Hedeclaredthatasacivilianheearnedmoneybuthewasnolongerasrespectedashehadbeenwhenhewasinthearmy.Today,hestillisinthearmybuthealsospendssometimeinhisworkshopwherehiswifeworksasadress-maker.

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Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of in dealing with demobilised soldiers or ex-combatants • Thistargetgroupcannotbehandledby“schooldiscipline”.• Physicalseparationofthismilitarytargetgroupfromtraumatisedtraineesandparticularlyfrom

womenwhohavebeenrapedisamust.

What facilitates success with demobilised soldiers or ex-combatants• Therehastobeamoreintensivefollow-upofthistargetgroupbecausetheirinsertionfailsmore

often.• Theyshouldbeorientedtowardscraftsandtradesthatarereallyprofitable.• Theinsertionofex-combatantsshouldbeprofessionalandsocial.

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Disabled people

Current issues

Generally,wecandistinguishtwogroupsofdisabledpeople:thosewhohaveaphysicalhandicapandthosewhohaveamentalhandicap.Incontrasttoothercontinents,likeEurope,whereparticularsystemsforvocationaltrainingofpeoplewithmentalhandicapdoexist,inAfrica,thesepeoplearenotseenasatargetgroupfortraining.Therefore,thischapterjusttreatsthecaseofphysicalhandicaps.Themostfrequentcasesofdisabledpeoplearemutilatedorpartiallyparalysedpeopleaswellasblindpeopleanddeaf-mutes.Inwarandpost-warregionstherearealsopeoplewhoaredisabledduetowar.Ifyouvisitvocationaltrainingcentres,itisstillraretomeetdisabledtraineesthere.Usually,it’stheNGOsthatreachouttothesepeoplewhoarethentrainedsomewhereelse.Youmightsaythatit’shardtotrainablindpersonoradeaf-mute.Butwhosaysthatablindpersoncan’tbetrained?Andwhosaysthatsome-bodyinawheelchaircan’tbecomeatailor,designerorsecretary?Sure,barriersdoexistforthesepeoplebutthesebarriersarenotinsurmountable.Sometimesitjustdependsonourownlimitedvisionofwhatatradecanbe.Atothertimes,it’sjustthelimitedvisionthatwehaveaboutadisabledperson.InAsiayoucanfindblindpeoplewhoweretrainedtobemassagers.AtGoma,inNorthKivu,youcanfindpeopleinwheelchairswhoareinthebusinessoftransport–somethingthatevenappearsparadoxical,thewheel-chairbeingasymbolforreducedmobility.Butthroughtheingenuityofsomedisabledpeople,thissymbolofreducedmobilityturnsintotheopposite:professionalmobility.

What is the particular challenge with regards to vocational training of disabled people?

Thefirstchallengeisthatthefeasibilityofvocationaltrainingfordisabledshouldbeanalysedwithanopenmindthatisfreeofprejudices.Afterthis,youneedtoexaminehowtoinsertthemintotraining,find-ingthebalancebetween:takingintoaccounttheparticularhandicapbutnotoverstressingtheimportanceofthehandicapbeyondwhatisnecessary.

What main approaches have been used in the training of disabled people?

AtCAPA,mostofthedisabledpeoplearedeaf-mutes.Oftentheyaretraumatisedandcannotexpressthis.Inordertoworkwiththisgroup,weusesomebodywhounderstandsthemandwhoknowstheirlanguageandisabletolistentothem.Theyareguidedtowardstrainingaccordingtotheiraptitudesandwishes.Whilelookingbackonourexperiencesuptonow,wecansaythatthemenarereallygoodascarpentersandmasonsandthewomenindress-making.Thetrainingisalwaysquitepracticalandisdoneonthejob,althoughsomeofthemareabletoreadandwrite.Theinterpreterisveryusefulwhenitcomestosomesmalltheoreticallessonsduringthetraining.Inordertofacilitatetheirintegration,wesensitisetheothertraineesaswellasthetrainersontheissueandcallforagoodco-existenceandmutualhelp.Inreturn,thedisabledtraineesarealsosensitisedaboutlivingtogetherwithnon-disabledpeople.

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Peoplewithphysicalhandicapsareachallengetoatraininginstitutionandthischallengestartswiththesim-plefactofinadequateinfrastructure.AtCAPAwealsodon’tfulfilalltheprerequisitesforthisandsometimesweareobligedtosenddisabledcandidatestoothertrainingcentres.Thishappensincaseswherethebarrierisastaircaseorwhenwedon’thaveadaptedtoilets.




Quite often, training centres don’t have ad-equate infrastructure

• Onesolutionforthismightbetohavesomevolunteerswhocanhelpthedisabledpeopletoenterplacesthatpresentbarriersandtogetthemoutofthere.

• Whenevertheresourcesallowit,infrastructureshouldbeadaptedtothenecessitiesofdisabledpeople.

• Attheplanning,theacquisitionortheconstructionofinfrastructuretheneedsofdisabledpeopleshouldbetakenintoaccount.

Lack of trades that are compatible with the re-quirements of disabled people

• Identifythetradesthatarecompatiblewiththeparticularhandicapandletthedisabledpersonchoose.

• Searchfortrainingcentresthatoffertrainingforthesetradesandsendthedisabledcandidatestothem.Iftherearen’tanycentresforthis,trytoorganiseityourselfjusttogiveachancetothistargetgroupwhohavesofewopportunities.

The social integration of this target group can be a problem

• Thestaffofthetrainingcentreaswellastheothertraineesshouldbesensitisedsotohelpthedisabledpeopleandtofacilitatetheirintegration.

• Withinthetrainingcentrethereshouldbesomepeoplewhocanfol-lowuptheintegrationofdisabledtrainees.

• Listenactivelytopeoplewithhandicaps,trytoidentifytheirneedsandproblemsandinvolvetheminmakingdecisionsthataffectthem.

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Three cases of disabled people who have been trained and integrated

1) Barber training added to the programme for people disabled by war

Disabledpeoplearequiteoftenmarginalisedwithregardstoprofessionalactivity,astrainingcentresrarelyoffertrainingcoursesthatarecompatiblewithwhattheycando.AtCAPA,weexperiencethissituationwhenpeoplewhohavebeendisabledinwararerecommendedtousfortraining.Someofthemreallydon’tknowwhattodobecauseoftheirphysicalinaptitude.Oftenthereisn’tanyothercentrewheretheycouldbeaccepted.Thisishowwehadtheideaofstartingtrainingcoursesforbarbers,acraftthatiscompatiblewiththeircondition.Ninewar-disabledpeoplewentthroughthistraining.Theyarepracticingitandotherpeoplealsobecameinterestedinthistrade.

2) Dressmaking for deaf-mutes

Whenitcomestodisabledpeople,yousometimesneedparticularstrategiesandpedagogicapproachestosucceedintrainingthemandtoinsertthemprofessionally.Thusweinventedastrategyfortrainingdeaf-mutesindressmaking:Wesupportedadressmakingworkshopwhereadeaf-mutepersonisworkingsothathecantakecareofthetrainingofotherdeaf-mutes.Whathavethereasonsbeenforthisstrategy?Firstofall,thefactthatheisabletocommunicatewiththem.Secondly,thefactthatintegrationiseasierbecausethey’refreefromcomplexandfromstigma.Finally,thesolidarityamongthemmakeseverythingsmootherbecausetheyunderstandeachother.Thisworkshophasbecomeafinetrainingplacefordeaf-muteswhogotheretolearnonthejob.Theygetmoreandmoreclientsandhaverecentlystartedtoproduceready-madeclothesthattheydelivertosellerswhoworktogetherwithCAPAforselling.

3) A group of disabled people who were beggars are now earning an income through crafts

AtUvira,acitynotfarawayfromBukavu,thereisanassociationofdisabledpeoplecalledCEPHADthathadbeeninitiatedbyalocalChurch.Once,thisassociationcametoustoaskifwecouldtraintheirmembersforsometradeoractivity.Theparticularhandicapofthesepeopleisthattheydon’thavefeet.Whenwevisitedtheassociation,thewomenwantedtolearnhowtoweavebaskets.Threeofourfemaletrainerswenttheretwicetotrainthesewomenwhocouldbarelymove.Withjustasmallamountofworkingcapitaltobuyyarn,thesewomenwereabletoproducebasketsandtheyalwayshaveclientsforthis.Thesewomenalwaysworktogetherandtheyearnsomeincometosatisfytheirfirstneeds.Nowtheyalreadyhavesixnewtraineesbroughtbytheirfamiliestothegroup.Quiteoftentheyrepeatthattheyarehappytoknoweachotherandtoknowthattheyarenottheonlyoneswiththesekindsofproblems.Theyliketoworktogetherandtheyfeelmoreandmoreintegratedanduseful.

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Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of when working with disabled people • Youneedtoovercometheprejudicethatdisabledpeoplearenotabletolearnatradeandtopractise

it.

What facilitates success with disabled people • Identifywhattherequirementsareforthetradesthatarecompatiblewithahandicap.• Inventandapplymethodsandapproachesthatadapttotheconditionsofdisabledpeople.

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Street children

Current issues

InmanybigcitiesinAfricayoucanseechildren,youngboysandalsogirls,livinginthestreet.Inpostwartimetheywillevenbemorenumerous.Butcomparedtoothercandidatesfromparticulartargetgroups,streetyouthwillrarelycometoatrainingcentrebythemselves.Usually,theyaretakentoatrainingcentrebyanNGOoranothersocialinitiative.Buteventhisdoesn’thappentoooften.Sowhymentionstreetchildreninthismanual?Wedoitjustinordertoshowthatitispossibletotrain“littlebandits”–whichishowsocietyandmostofthetrainingcentresviewthesechildrenandyoungpeople.Therearen’tmanycaseswheresomebodyaskstotraintheseyoungpeople.Denialsofsuchrequestsare,however,quitefrequent.Trainingcentresdon’tlikethistypeofyoungpeopleastheyfeardisruption,lackofdisciplineandtheft.

What is the specific challenge with regards to the training of street children?

Thetwomainchallengespresentedbytheseyoungpeopleare:theirinstabilityandtheinsertion.Thistargetgroupisusedtoanextremelyagitatedandunsteadylife.Atrainingcentrehastotaketheseattitudesintoaccountandhastoknowhowtotacklethisproblemforsuccessfultraining.Beyondthis,mostofthemdon’thaveanysupportfromtheirfamily.Thismeansthattherehastobeaclosefollow-upandcomprehensiveassistancewiththeirinsertion.

What have CAPA’s main approaches been with regard to training street children?

Generally,thetrainingofstreetchildrenisrequestedbyanorganisationorinstitution.Onereasonforthisisthatthistargetgroupcan’tbetrainediftheydon’thaveashelterwheretheyliveorwheretheyatleastgotoeatandtosleep.

Wereceivethemandwemakearoughnoteoftheorganisation’srequest.Mostly,theorganisationscometouswithaspecificideaaboutthetrainingoftheseyoungpeople.However,weusetheintroductorypro-cedureofgivingtheyoungcandidatesatour,toshowthemthedifferentoptionsandsotheycanexpresstheirindividualchoice.Afterthis,wechecktheirwishesagainsttheiraptitudesasweunderstandit(itsometimesdiffersfromwhattheorganisationhadinmind)andwecommunicatetheresulttotheorganisa-tion.Inmostcasestheyacceptit.

Forstreetchildren,weapplyallapproachesthatweuseforparticulartargetgroupsandtraumatisedpeo-ple.Mostly,theseyoungpeoplediscloseexperiencesthatareunbelievableandshocking.Thedisruptionoffamilylinksalreadybeingatraumaforachild,theirabnormallifewithitstraumaticexperiencesaddslargelytothis.Thetrainersarepreparedtoreceivethistargetgroupthatistrainedbyobjective.Withthem,itusuallyison-the-jobtrainingofshortdurationasthisgroupisoneofthosethatisalwaysinahurryinordertosurvive.

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There is a particular characteristic of this difficult target group: a certain “anti-social” tendency (petty thefts) and this is a problem for training centres

Societyconsidersthisbehaviouras“criminal”.Itmaybe.Butinreality,forstreetchildrenitisawaytosurvive.

• Thereshouldbesessionsofsensitisingaboutpacificco-existence,aboutsocialethicsandlivingtogetherwithothers.

• Thetrainees,themselves,couldbeaskedtodesigntheirowncodeofconductwithregardstothebehaviourintheworkshopsandtoregu-latetheinfractionsandrespectivepenaltiesinit.

• Allthosewhocomeincontactwiththistargetgroupshouldknowabouttheriskthatpettytheftcanhappen,sothattheyguardagainstit.

• Don’tchaseawaythe“littlethieves”becauseinthelongterm,whentheypractisetheirjob,theselittletheftsnearlyalwaysstophappen-ing.

This target group always suffers from hunger and they don’t always have something to eat, which affects the training and leads to petty thefts

• Theonlysolutionforhungeristoeat.Ifpossible,thesetraineesshouldbeallowedtobringfoodiftheyareabletofindit(e.g.whentheyliveinashelter).

• Reducethehoursofdailytraining.

• Schedulethemostimportantlessonsormattersofthetrainingforthefirsthoursinthemorningwhenthey’renotyethungry.

• TrytofindsupportforfoodatsomeorganisationslikeCARITAS,PAM,etc...

Notwithstanding all measures of caution, you won’t be able to stop thefts and losses

• Thetrainingcentreshouldbepreparedforsuchsmalllossesoftoolsandmaterial.Considerthisfactinyourbudgetplanning.

• Trytomakethetraineesfeelresponsiblefortheequipmentandtounderstandthatitshouldbesafeguarded.

• Ifpossible,youcouldalsogiveatoolkittoeachofthemandmakethemresponsibleforitandforpossiblelosses.

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• Thetrainingcentrecoulddesignarulethatregulatesthetrainees’behaviourandwhichalsospecifiesthecasesoftheftandlossesandtherespectivepenalties.

• Applythecodeofconductthattheythemselvesmighthavedevel-oped.

With regards to this target group, trainers are nearly always very sceptical

• Thescepticismofthetrainerstowardsdifficulttargetgroupscanbemitigatedandsolvedwhenthemanagementalignsthestaffstrategi-callyonthiscommitmentofthetrainingcentre.

• Thestrategicplanofthetrainingcentreshouldbedeveloped,dis-cussedandsharedwithallmembersofthestaff.Thetrainersshouldknowthevision,mission,vocationandallobjectivesofthecentreandshouldadoptthem.

• Thetrainersshouldknowwhatkindoftargetgroupswillbetrained.Theyshouldbesensitisedtoacceptthemandtotrytheirbestinor-dertofindortodeviseadequatestrategiestoassuresuccessfultrain-ing.

• Whenscepticismisongoing,thenthetrainersshouldsittogetheranddiscuss,collaborateandcomplementeachotherwithregardstothemethodsandapproachesthathavesucceeded.

• Whentrainersstilldon’t(orwon’t)adapt,itrequirescourageousde-cisionstotransferthemtootherservicesortoterminatethecontract.

Three cases of “street children” who partly succeeded with regards to re-insertion

1) A young man living in the street becomes a welder and gets back to his family

OneoftheyoungmenwhohavebeenpickedupinthestreettomakethemlearnatradeisPapy.Hehadbeenbroughttousbyapastorin2003whenPapywas17yearsold.Atthattime,healreadyhadbeenonthestreetformorethansevenyears.Havingneverbeentoschool,hechosewelding.Helearntthistradeforninemonthsandduringthistimeweneversawanyparentorrelativeappear.Wheneverwetriedtofindoutwherehecamefrom,heliedtous,tellingusthathewasfromavillagefarawayandthatheevencouldn’trememberitsname,ashehadleftitmanyyearsago.Hewashardworkinganddisciplinedandtheheadofthemetalworkshoplikedthat,sohekeptPapyforalongperiodofinternship.Duringthisinternshipperiod,hewaspaidsothathecouldsubsistandhecouldaffordtobuyniceclothes.Heactedlikearesponsibleadult.

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Wheneightmonthsofinternshiphadgoneby,suddenlyaladyappearedatCAPA,declaringthatshewashismother.Thisladyappearedtofeelashamedthatshehadabandonedhersononthestreet.Shewasnowattractedbythechangeofhersonandbythefactthathewasearningmoney.WhenPapywasinvitedtothedirector’sofficetomeetthelady,herecognisedher.Butashismotherwasgreetinghimheartily,heshowedahostileattitudeandstartedtoaccuseherofbeingirresponsible.“CAPAismymother”,hetoldher.“Gohome.”Wethenorganisedareconciliationmeetinganditendedwiththemotherandsonrepairingtheirbondsagain.Twoweekslater,adelegationofthefamilytogetherwithhismothercametogetPapyback.TodayheworksasawelderatUviraandcontributestotheincomeofhisfamilyandhismother.

2) Eleven years on the street and nineteen times in prison – but still change is possible

Hereagain,itwasapriestwhotookthisyoungguytoCAPAtobetrained.Tysonhadbeenonthestreetfor11years.Hewasquiteknownforregularpunch-upsandpettythefts,sothathehadbeentoprison19times.Ashewaswellknowninthecity,everybodyidentifiedhimimmediatelywhenhecametoCAPAfortrainingandhewasconsideredtobeapermanentdangerforCAPAwithregardstotheftandlosses.Manystaffmembersandalsotraineesatthecentrewarnedusnottotakehimin.Butwestucktoitandhewasshownthedifferenttrainingoptions.Weweresomehowsurprisedwhenhechosepanelbeatingandspraypainting.Hethenwastakentothedirector’sofficewherewetalkedwithhim,askinghimifhewasawareofwhatpeopleweresayingabouthim.Headmittedtohavingbeenonthewrongcourseinhislifeandpromisedtobehavewellinordertochangehisbadreputation.Throughintensivespiritualguidanceandpsychosocialassistance,Tysonbecameoneofthemodelsofhowayoungmanfromthestreetcanbetransformed.Hefinishedhistraining,havingbecomeareallygoodandhardworkingpanelbeater.Wekepthiminourworkshopforthreeyears.ThenheleftandheworksnowinagarageatGoma.Hislifehascompletelychangedwithregardstoeverythingandthismotivatesusinourcommitmenttocontinuebelievinginwhatispossiblewiththistargetgroupofstreetchildren.

3) A young man living in the street has been trained – and returned to the street

WeoncehadavisitorfromBelgiumandwhileweweretakinghimaroundinourcarintheevening,hissmallbagwasstolenwithhispassportandmoneyinit.Wewereasfrustratedaboutthisashim.Wethencontactedoneofourgraduateswhohadbeenlivinginthestreetbeforeandaskedhimtohelpustofindatleastthepassport.Hewasindeedabletofindsometracesofitandafterasmallamountofmoneywas“invested”,thepassportwasfinally“found”.Ayoungmanlivingonthestreetbroughtittous.Wethoughtthatitwouldbeagoodideatoofferhimatrainingopportunityassortof“gift”.Herepliedthathewouldthinkaboutit.Heindeedcamebackandstartedhistrainingincarpentry.Butwhenhehaddonehalfofthetraining,weheardthathewentbacktothestreeteachnight,althoughhehadbeenacceptedinthehouseofapriesttostaythereandtosleepthere.Thus,finally,whenhehadnearlyfinishedthetraining,hewentdefinitivelybacktothestreet.Wheneverwemeethim,herepeatsthathewillcomebacktofinishthetrainingbutthisneverhappens.Ourconclusiononthiscaseisthatlearningatradehastobeawishcomingfromtheheartandthepersonhastohaverealwillandrealmotivation.

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Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of when dealing with street children • It’snotagoodideatotakesomebodydirectlyandindividuallyfromthestreetfortraining.There

mustbesomebodywhoismentoringhim,otherwisereinsertionwillnotsucceed.

What facilitates success with street children• Ongoingandstrictcontrol.Butalsopayattentiontothepossibilitythatotherscouldutilisethepres-

enceofthistargetgrouptostealthingsandhavethenstreetchildrenblamedforit.

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A very special target group: pygmies

Current issues

Inthiscaseitisreallyaveryparticulartargetgroup,inthesensethatinmanycountriesitdoesn’tevenex-ist.Whythenaddressithere?Wethinkthatitisworthwhilepresentingthesituationofthistypeoftraineesbecausethesekindsofpopulationsandethnicgroupsexisteverywhere.Theyareethnicminoritieswhohaveaveryparticularwayoflifewhichseparatesthemquiteoftenfromsocietyandwhofindthemselvesinmostofthecasesattheverybottomofthesocialscale.Inourcountryit’sthePygmies,andinotherregionsitmightbetheFulaniortheMassaiorotherminorities.Therefore,thischapterisnotsomuchmeanttogiveusefultoolsonhowtosucceedwiththetrainingofPygmies.Theintentionisrathertoshowthiscaseasanexampleonhowonecouldapproachaminoritysuchasthis.

What is the specific challenge with a group like the Pygmies?

Astheword“minority”tellsus,itisasmallgroup.However,thechallengeisbig.Itisbigbecausethesekindsofcaseschallengeourwayofthinkingandourstandardisedwayofacting.Ifyouwanttogetclosetothiskindofgroup,youneedanopenmindandlotsofunderstanding.Itrequiresflexibility,toleranceandadaptation.

How did CAPA approach this target group of pygmies?

Well,ourexperienceiswithpygmiesofourregion.Weneitherareanthropologistsnorethnologists,andwe’veonlyhadsomeexperienceswiththistargetgroupaspractitionersofvocationaltraining.Therefore,wedon’tknowifourexperiencescanbegeneralisedwithregardstothisparticulartargetgroup.

Thepygmiesareamongthepoorestpopulations.Theyareveryconnectedtotheirregion,totheforestandtotheirvillages.Theyshouldthereforebetrainedintheirownenvironmentandifpossibleinthetypesoftradesthatarebasedonnaturalmaterial.Thetrainingcanalsohelptoimprovethecraftsoractivitiesthattheypractisebytraditionandgivevaluetowhatexistsintheirowncontext.Thistargetgroupisnotusedtotaking“detours”tofindfood.Whatwemeanbythisisthattheyshouldnotbetrainedforanactivitythatrequiresawholesetofplanning,organisationandefforts,beforefinallyearninganincomefromit.Theyareusedtoadirectlinkforthemostessentialthing:findingfoodinordertosurvive.Thus,allthetradesthatarequicklylearntandthathaveadirectimpactarethemostappropriateones,forinstancebasketweavingorraisingsmallanimals.

Insummary,wemuststatethatthisethnicgroupthinksandlivesverydifferentlytotherestofsociety.Therearemanyobstaclesandthefrustrationsofpeoplewhowantto“bringsomehelp”arenumerous.Weadmitopenlythatevenafterourlongstandingexperiencewiththistargetgroup,wehaven’treallysuc-ceededwiththem.

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They are mainly no-mads, which means instability

• Trainingshouldratherbeorganisedforsettledpygmies,thatisforthosewhohavealreadybeenlivingatthesameplaceforacertaintime.

• It’sthefoodsituationandsurvivalthatmakesnomadsofthepyg-mies.Foodisthereforethemostimportantelementforthem.Aslongastheygetfoodduringthetraining,evenifitisonceaday,theywillsticktothetraining.

• Youshouldtrytoinventanddesignallkindsofstrategiesandtrickstomakethemfinishthetrainingsothattheycanpractisethecraftandgetincomefromit.Thiswillmotivatetheotherswhoarestillintraining.

Ethnic minorities have often got social com-plexes, they assume that nobody likes them and that they are ne-glected

• Putthepygmiestogetherwithtraineesfromotherethnicgroupsortribes(preferablythosetowhomtheyareaccustomed)forcommonlearning.

• Whenevertherearethesekindsofethnicallymixedgroups,therehastobeclosemonitoringinordertoassurepeacefulco-existence.

• Organiseeventswherepygmiescometogetherwithpeoplefromothertribes.

In their social relation with others, pygmies can show a high degree of dependency to the point of a begging at-titude

• Theissuesofdependencyanditsnegativeeffectsshouldalwaysbetreatedasintegratedmatters.

• Organisegroupvisitstopygmieswhohavesucceededinself-suffi-ciencywithregardtofood,schooling,clothingetc.

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Instead of showing some examples, we would like to describe our experience with this target group over the years

Theexperienceofourchurch,theBaptistChurchCBCA,reachesquitefarbacktothepast.Itwasin1985whentheCBCAsettledaboutthreehundredpygmyfamiliesforfreeonanareathatwasgiventothem.Inordertostabilisethem,theywerealsogivenaschoolandahealthcentre.Theyparticipatedintheas-sembliesofthechurchandthenaskedforvocationaltraining.ButatCAPAwedidn’tbelieveinthesuc-cessoftheirtrainingandsowedidn’tofferittothem.Itwasonlyin2002thatwehadsomeexperiencestrainingpygmies.Inordertopreventthemfrommigrating,aworkshopforcarpentrywasbuiltintheirownsetting.Butthenwestartedtonoticedeterioratingbehaviourandtrainingthemdidnotturnouttobeeasyatall.a) The37pygmiesweweretrainingturnedouttobehungryatalltime.Theyaskedforfoodduringthe

wholetrainingperiodandthiswassomethingthatwehadn’tforeseen.Thus,18ofthemabandonedthetrainingforthisreason.Itwasonlyafterasmallkitchenwheretheycouldgetsomecookedmaizewithbeanshadbeeninstalledbesidetheworkshopthatthosewhohadleftreturnedtothetraining.

b) Theywereintoomuchofahurrytolearnthetradeinnotime.Someofthemwantedtogetmoneyfromcarpentryintheveryfirstweekoftraining,othersafteronemonth.Wheneverwetriedtoexplainthemhowlongittakestogetsolidtraining,theywouldgetfrustrated.Aftermanyeffortsinvolvingtrialanderror,wefinallyagreedtofixspecificobjectivesfortheirtrainingtogetherwiththemandspecificitemswereidentifiedthatshouldbemade.Theyimmediatelystartedtodoit,believingthattheywouldbeabletoproducetheseitemsinnotime.Butthentheyfoundoutforthemselvesthatthiswasn’tpossible.Theyfinallyhadtoadmitandtoexperiencethemselvesthatitneededthetimethatwenormallyplanforit.Eventhoughtheyrecognisedthis,quiteanumberofthemabandonedthetraining.Outof37just17finishedthetraining.Welearntthroughthisthattargetgroupswhoareinahurrytolearnthetradeshouldbetrainedforactivitiesthatrequireverylittletrainingtime.Thus,wesucceededwithagroupofpygmywomenwhomwehadtrainedinbasketweaving.

c) Thepygmiesintrainingdidn’treallytrustthetrainers.Theyhadalotofcomplexesaboutsocialandethnicdifferences.Theywereconvincedthatthetrainersdidn’twanttotrainthemquicklybecausetheywantedtoexcludethemfromsociety.Thisinferioritycomplexresultedinthemsteadilyinterpret-ingtheattitudesandactionsofthetrainersandoftraineeswithdifferentethnicoriginasiftheyweredisparagingthem.Inordertoassuregoodco-existence,thetrainerstriedtomakefriendswiththem,sharingthingsandmakingsmallgifts.Besidesthecarpentrytraining,agroupofpygmywomenhadreceivedsomepigsonbasisofrotatingmicrocredittostartanimalraising.Butthiswastheworstofourideasandanimmediatemisadven-ture.Pygmieslikemeatandthus,theyjustwereeatingthesepigsonebyoneandtellingusthatthepigsweredyingofsomeillness.

d) Atanyrate,thetraininghadsomepositiveeffectswithregardtothesocialcohabitationofpygmieswithpeopleofotherethnicgroupsortribes.Thishappenedthroughpublicandcommonevents.Forinstance,weonceorganisedafootballmatchbetweenthepygmiesandaBantuteam.Thepygmyteamlost,butnotwithstandingthisresult,thepygmieswerecelebratingtheevent:itwasthefactthattheyhadbeenplayingwithanothertribethatmadethemfeelproud.

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Summarisingourexperienceswiththepygmiesofourregion,wecansaythatthefollowingareour“les-sonslearnt”atCAPAwithregardstothistargetgroup:(1) Pygmiesareagroupthatismarginalisedinsocietyandsomehowforgotten.Theyalsoneedtohavean

accesstoeconomicactivitiesinordertohaveincomeopportunitiesandtohaveadecentlife.(2) Thepygmieshavenaturaltalentsthatcanbepromotedthroughpracticaltrainingofcraftsandtrades.(3) Ifany,onlytrainpygmieswhoaresettled.(4) Justgoforshorttrainingcoursesthatcanimmediatelybeconvertedintoincomeopportunities.(5)Assuringfoodduringthetrainingisamotivatingelement.(6) Thetrainingofpygmiesmustincludeactivitiesthatleadtosocialintegration,mutualacceptationand

peacefulco-existence.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of when dealing with ethnic target groups who are nomads • Avoidallkindofattitudesthatcanstigmatisethem.• Don’tfocusonreal(organised)self-employment.• Theycanbecunning.

What facilitates success with ethnic target groups who are nomads• Beforestartinganinitiativewiththem,itwouldbewisetogetadvicefromanethnologist.• Ifyouwanttoreallyservethem,learntogetfamiliarwiththem.

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Socio-professionalinsertionandself-employment

Socio-professional insertion and self-employment

What is needed in order to succeed with self-employment of graduates?

Current issues

InmostoftheAfricancountries,theeconomyischaracterisedbythreefactors:aninformalsectorthatlargelydominateseconomicactivities,amassofyoungpeoplewithaloweducationallevelandvocation-altrainingprovisionthatdoesn’tevenreachafractionofthislargenumberofyoungpeople.Furthermore,theformalvocationaltrainingwithofficialdiplomapreparespeopleforjobs,thatis,fordependantandpaidemployment.Butthesekindsofjobsarescarceastheyaretobefoundintheformalsector(industry,enterprises)andthissectorismostlyquitesmall.Thus,manyyoungpeopleareobligedtobecomeself-employedbuttheyarerarelypreparedforit.

What is the specific challenge with regards to training for self-employment?

Experienceshows:whenyouaskdirectorsofvocationaltrainingcentreswhattheyconsidertobethedeter-miningelementforthesuccessofself-employment,theywillanswer:resources.Whileitistruethatresourcesareanimportantelement,theyarenotthemainchallengeforsuccessfulself-employment.Themainchallengeistorecognisethatatrainingsystemleadingtoself-employmentisnotthesamethantrainingforwageem-ployment,thatitismoredemanding.Anytrainingcentrewhoknowsthatitsgraduateswillratherendupinself-employmenthasgotacertainresponsibilitywithregardstothetrainingconceptthatisoffered.Thechal-lengeisthereforetorecognisethisresponsibility.Totrainpeopleforself-employmentrequires from a training centre that the main factors for successful self-employment are known.Andthesefactorsgofarbeyondtheneedofresources:it’saboutthepersonalprofileofthetraineeandthepreparationonhowtooperateabusi-ness(thatalsogoesbeyondasimplecourse),it’saboutsavingsandthefollowupofthegraduates’startupactivities.Thismeansthatthemanagementofatrainingcentrehas to know what is businessand how it worksinordertobeabletodeveloptrainingconceptsthatrespondtothespecificrequirementsofself-employment.

What we are frequently asked about self-employment

(1) Isn’t the question of insertion for self-employmen too difficult for a vocational training centre? Yes,andno.Itisdifficultfortradesthatrequireheavyinvestmentanditisdifficultforallgraduateswhoarenotpreparedtoself-employmentandwhodon’thaveaminimumofnaturalaptitudeforbusiness.

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Generallyspoken,self-employmentisnottoodifficultbutitreallyrequiresthatthegraduatesshowsomeentrepreneurialcharacteristicsandthattheyarepreparedfortheworldofworkthroughpracticeandin-ternships.

(2) With regards to your difficult economic situation in the East of Congo: how do you succeed in helping graduates become self-employed?

Firstofall:bytrainingthemincraftsandtradeswhereself-employmentisfeasible.Thenwealsoasktheparentsorguardianstoassuretheminimumrequirementsforself-employment,before,duringandafterthetraining.Finally,wehelpthegraduateswithatoolkitandtheycanalsogetmicro-creditsfromasavingsandcreditcooperative.Wealsorecommendtothegraduatesthattheymayformsmallassociatedgroupsorthattheytrytojoinexistingworkshops.

(3) Doesn’t support towards self-employment require too much money?Self-employmentrequiresmuchmoneyifyouwanttodoallofitatonce.Forinsertionviaself-employ-mentyouneedtoproceedprogressively.Whentheburdenofself-employmentissharedbyallthepartiesinvolved(thegraduate,associatedgroups,theparentsorsponsors),thenitbecomeslessheavy.

(4) How do you organise the follow-up of the graduates who are self-employed?AtCAPAwehaveaspecifictaskforceforthistaskoffollow-up.Wedon’tdothatforeverybody,assomegraduatesmighthavemigratedorarelivingtoofaraway.Wealsolimitthedurationoffollowupandthenumberofworkshopsthatweareabletofollowupaccordingtotheresourcesthatareavailable.

(5) For how long do you follow up or assist graduates?Thedurationdependsofeachcase.Someofthemareassistedforuptothreeyears,anditevencangouptofiveyears.

(6) Do particular and difficult target groups also succeed in becoming self-employed?Someofthemdo,butnotall.Itdependsonthetrade,ontheiraptitudesandontheirpreparationtoit.

(7) What about the graduates who don’t succeed?Thosewhofailinself-employmentgetajobsomewhereoraresearchingforone.Othersjointhesmallenterprisesthattheircolleagueshavesuccessfullysetup.

(8) What are the indicators that show successful self-employment?Self-employmentisconsideredsuccessfulwhenthegraduatepractisesthetradethathehaslearntinaprofit-ablewayandwhenhegetsincomefromitthatsatisfieshisneeds.Furthermore,self-employmenthasbeensuccessfulwhenthegraduatehascreatedasmallenterprisewhereheemploysothersandwhenhehasap-prenticeswhomhetrains.

(9) What should a training centre do when graduates can no longer be inserted?Whenatrainingcentreisnolongerabletoinsertitsgraduatesthenit’snotfulfillingitsvocationanymore.Itthenbecomesawasteofresourcesforthetrainingcentreandawasteoftimeandmoneyforthetrainees.Oneshouldthenstopthetrainingactivitiesandstarttoreflectaboutit.Generally,thissituationhappenswhenatrainingcentredoesn’tconsiderthemarketdemandand/ortheneedsofthesociety.Inthiscase,actionshouldbereorientedaccordingtothefeedbackfromthemarketandallpartiesinvolved.

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Which are the criteria and the main strategic elements for the success of training for self-employment?

Thebasicprincipleisthatyouhavetoreflectonandtakeactiontowardsself-employmentbefore,duringandafterthetraining.Youshouldn’tstarttoreflectonself-employmentandhowtoinsertgraduatesonlyasthey’refinishingtheirtraining.Ifcandidatesenvisagebeingself-employedafterthetraining,thenthetrainingcontractshouldalreadyincludeaspectsoffutureself-employment,particularlytheresponsibilityoftheparentsandguardianswithregardstotheircontributiontoinsertion(modelofcontract:seeappendix).Theirresponsibilityoftenconsistsofassuringtoolsorworkspace.Thepreparationforself-employmentshouldbeassuredbytrainingcoursesthatbuildupandreinforcekeycompetenciesforsmallbusinessandthataddressbusinessmanagementandtaxissues.

Discussionsoftraineeswithself-employedgraduatesshouldbeorganisedandintensified.Throughtheseexchanges,thetraineeswillalreadygettoknowwhatthechallengesofstartingupasmallbusinessare,andtheywillbepreparedtotackletheseproblems.Duringthispreparationforself-employment,thosewhowanttocanalreadyjoinasmallassociatedgroupwiththevisionofsettingupasmallbusinessto-gether.Thus,self-employmentstartsbeforetheendofthetraining.

Inordertogivethetraineesandgraduatesaccesstomicrocredits,wesetupasavingsandcreditcoopera-tivewithintheCAPAcompound.Thetraineesandgraduatesareencouragedtoopenanaccountandtobuildupsomesmallsavings.Onrecommendationfromthecentre,theycanalsogetmicrocredits(modelofatripartiteagreement:seeappendix).Attheend,start-upisdoneindividuallyoringroup.Accordingtoourpossibilities,wegivetoolkitstothegraduates.

Thefollow-upisorganisedasfollows.AtCAPAwehaveaspecialunitforthis.Thisunitcoordinatesfourstaffmembersandfoursectorheads;theysharethenumberofworkshopsthathavetobefollowedupandtherespectivetasks.Thefollow-upbythestaffmemberscomprisestheorganisationoftheworkshop,allquestionsofassoci-atedbusinessandadviceforbusinessmanagementtoensurethatthegraduatehasasolidsmallbusiness.Asolidsmallbusinessistherequirementforgettingcredits.Thefollow-upbytheheadsofsectorconcerntechnicaladvice.Weplanafollow-updurationof3to5yearswithaminimumofonevisitpertrimester.Fordifficultcasesthefollow-upcanbemoreintensive.Seeappendix:“Followupsheetforgraduates”.

Currently,weareabletofollowup36associatedworkshopsofatotalnumberof176workshops.Withregardstothetotalnumber,onehastoconsiderthatquitealotofgraduatesare“mobile”(theyarenotinstalledinaworkshop).Thisisthecasewithmasons,electriciansandplumbers,withwhomwedon’tfollowupduetothenatureoftheirwork.Othersmigratequitefarawaytotheinnerprovince,tootherprovincesoreventoaneighbouredcountry.Thosewhoworkasemployeesaren’teitherfollowedup.

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Self-employment for graduates is one of the major challenges for training centres For this reason, the following table will be more detailed than in other chapters



Quite often, vocational training centres are not aware of their role and their responsibility with regards to successful socio-professional in-sertion of their gradu-ates

Mostofthetrainingcen-tresdon’treallyobservethemarketinordertoknowifthereisstillademandforthetradestheyaretrainingfor.Oftentheyalsodon’tthinkabouttherequire-mentsforself-employ-mentinthesetradesorcrafts(e.g.heavyinvest-mentmakesitratherim-possibleforgraduatestostartup).

• Oneoftheresponsibilitiesofatrainingcentreistotrainyoungpeo-pleonlyforcraftsandtradesthatofferemploymentopportunities.Inordertodothis,itisnecessarytoobservethemarket,withregularas-sessmentoftheeconomicsituationandtherealdemandforproductsandservices.

• Ontheotherhand,youshouldpayattentiontochoosingtrainingforcraftsandtradesforwhichyoucanquiteeasilyfindmaterialandrawmaterial.Difficultyinaccessingmaterialisoneofthemainobstaclesforprofitablesmallbusiness.

• Anotherresponsibilityoftrainingcentreswouldbenottotrainforbranchesthatrequireheavyinvestmentforself-employmentasgrad-uatesgenerallydon’thavemuchcapitalandcannotstartupinthesekindsofbranches.Therefore,ifself-employmentisenvisagedasamainstrategy,oneshouldoffertrainingforcraftsandtradeswherethecostofstart-upisaccessible,otherwisethegraduateswillremainunemployedandtheobjectivesoftrainingwillnotbeachieved.

• Iftradesrequiringhighinvestmentaredemandedonthemarket,oneshouldoffertrainingàlacartewhileassuringthatthosewhoaskforthetraining(thefamilyofthecandidateorhisguardian)areabletosupportthetraineeinhisstart-upbusinessaftertraining.

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Too many training centres neglect the dif-ferences between wage employment and self-employment and they also don’t distinguish between the different types of self-employ-ment

Trainingcentresarerarely“insiders”astotherealitiesofthemarket.Thedifferencesbetweenself-employmentandentrepreneurshiparen’toftenseen,noristhereaclearperceptionofthedifferencebetween“ba-sicknowledgeinman-agement”and“book-keeping”.

• Ifyou’re in theluckysituationthat thereareasmanyopportuni-tiesforwageemploymentasforself-employmentonthemarket,thenyoushouldknowwhoamongthetraineesislookingforwage-employment(andhasanaptitudeforit)andwhowantstobe(orhastobe)self-employed.Therefore,managementtrainingisofferedforself-employmentonacase-by-casebasis,whilethosewhoarelook-ingforwage-employmentwillbetrainedonhowtowriteaCVandhowtopresentthemselvesforajob.

• Whenyouareinanenvironmentwhereself-employmentistheonlyoption,thenitwouldbegoodtoknowwhatkindofself-employmentyouwantto(orhaveto)preparethetraineesfor(therangegoesfrombasiccrafttoentrepreneurship).Thisanalysisorcanvassingwillguidethepreparationforinsertionaswellasthefollow-up.

• Staffmembersinchargeofinsertionmustbeawareofthedifferenttypesofindependenteconomicactivity.Toooften,self-employmentisun-derstoodandtreatedasifitwereauniformtypeofentrepreneurshipbutthisdoesn’tcorrespondtothepracticalexerciseofanindependentactivity.Forthefollow-upofgraduates,itisimportanttodistinguishifitisratherself-employmentforsurvival,morestableself-employ-mentbutstillabasicsortofactivity,self-employmentwithpotentialofgrowthoraself-employmentwithentrepreneurialperspective.

• Thefirstcriteriathathelpstodeterminatethetypeanddegreeofeco-nomicactivityisintheprofileofthegraduatehimself,inhisorhermotivation,determinationandcapacities:Whatdoesheorshewanttoachieve?Whatwillheorshebeabletoachieve?

• It’sveryusefultobringtraineestogetherwithgraduateswhoareal-readyself-employedsothattheycanexchangeexperiences.

• Itisratheruselesstoinitiategraduatesintoentrepreneurshipiftheirper-sonalitydoesn’tshowthecharacteristicsthatareindispensableforen-trepreneurship.Itisalsouselesstomakecomprehensivebusinessplanswithgraduateswhowilllateronproducenothingmorethanbasicitemsbecausethat’swhattheyareabletodo.

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The problem of limited resources: trainees who are not challenged enough with regards to their own efforts for the future self-employment

Argumentsaboutself-employmentareusuallyabout“financing”start-up.Measuresthatpre-cedestart-upareoftenneglected.

• Whatevertheenvisagedself-employmentprojectmightbe,thereisoneconditionthatshouldneverbemissedout:traineesshouldbechallengedtomaketheirown effortswithregardstoresources,eveniftheseeffortsareratherinsignificant.Itisabigerrortogivecreditandfinancialsup-porttograduateswhohaven’ttakenanyefforttomakesomesavingsorwhodon’tpresentanysupportfromtheirfamily.

• Theconceptof“ownefforts”shouldbechallengedfromtheverybe-ginning.Atrainingcentrecanoffersmalljobstotraineesasopportuni-tiesforearningsomemoney.It’snottheamountthatcountsmost,it’sthewillandthementalitythatshouldbefostered.

• Trainingsessionsintheformofdiscussionsorexchangesaboutthequestionofwhatcanbedonetoputtogetherstart-upcapitalshouldbeorganisedandshouldformpartofanymanagementcourse.

• It’salsogoodtoactivatetheresponsibilityoftheparentssothattheycontributetotheinsertion.

• Atripartitetrainingcontractthatissignedbytheinvolvedparties(thecandidate,theparents/theguardianandthetrainingcentre)willhelptomakeallpartiesberesponsiblewithregardtotheircontributions.

• Onecanevenbestricterandaskthecandidatetopresenttherecom-mendationofsomebodyandtorequestthatthesepeopleassuretherequiredcapitalforinsertion.

The problems of weak institutional competen-cies with regards to business and economic issues, the lack of pro-cedures and the lack of experience of the staff in charge of insertion

Certainly,itwouldbeoptimalifthestaffinchargeofinsertionandfollow-upofthegradu-ateshadacertaindegreeofexperienceineco-nomicissues.

• Anyvocationaltrainingcentreshouldhavestaffmemberswhoareex-clusivelyinchargeofthesocio-professionalinsertionofthegraduatesaftertraining.

• Itisstronglyadvisablethatthisstaffhassomesolidknowledgeonmar-ketmechanismsandonhowbusinessworks.Itwouldbeevenbetteriftheyhadpracticalbusinessexperiencesoftheirown.

• Thisunitforinsertionhastoworkcloselytogetherwiththetrainersbecausetheyknowthetrainees’personalitiesbest.

• Inordertoassurethebestresults,itwouldbegoodandevennecessarytodevelopandtosharetheproceduresandpoliticsofprofessionalin-sertionwithallthestaffmembers.Theidealformwouldbeamanualthatputstogetherthestepsandprescriptions.

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• Itmayalsobeusefultoexchangeexperienceswithothertrainingcen-tresandotherorganisationsthatdealwithprofessionalinsertion.

• Forthecapacitybuildingofstaffmembersdealingwithfollow-upandinsertion,youcanalsoaskforsupportfromspecialisedorganisations.However,youshouldmakesurethatthesepeople,inturn,haven’tgottheirknowledgefrombooks.Successinbusinessisforthosewhore-allyknow aboutbusiness.

Errors in following up

Generally,itcanbesaidthatfollow-upofgradu-atesisoneoftheareaswheretrainingcentresarenotsostrongandlesscompetent.

Oneofthebiggester-rorswithregardstoself-employmentistoneglectthefollow-upoftheyoungcraftspeoplewhostartedtheirownbusiness.Usually,theargumentfornotdoingitisthatthereisnomoneyforit.

Often,centresunder-standfollow-upassortof“friendlyvisits”tosayhello.Theobjectivesofitaren’talwaysclearandit’snotalwaysconsid-eredorhandledasseri-ousbusinesssupport.

• Ifatrainingcentrehasn’tgotenoughresourcesforcomprehensivefollow-upofitsgraduates,thenitneedscreativityandagoodselec-tionstrategy:onemightthenfollowuplesspeople,butmakesuretheyarethosewhomostneedsupport.

• Asimilarproblemcanbeexperiencedwhenatrainingcentrethatknowsquitewellhowtoorganisegoodfollow-upbutthatittrainsalargenumberofpeople.Inthiscase,too,itwon’tbepossibletodoacomprehensiveandclosefollow-upofallgraduatesinthesameway.

• Beneficiarieswilltakefollow-upmeasuresmoreseriouslywhenthereisacontractaboutitthatspecifieswhatkindofsupportisneededandforhowlongthefollow-upisbeingplanned.

• Inordertoavoid“stumbling”anderrors,follow-upstrategieshavetobethoroughlyconceived,detailedstepbystepandlaiddowninaworkingmanual.

• Atrainingcentrehastoassurethatthefollow-upofgraduatesishan-dledbythestaffinaverycommittedmanner:theremustbefilesabouteachgraduatebeingfollowedupandthestaffmustregularlyprovidearecordofthevisits.

• Forgraduateswhoareemployedinenterprisesorotherworkplaces,follow-upcanbeusefultogetfeedbackabouttheeffectivenessofthetrainingbutitisnotsonecessarywithregardstothegraduates.Forthemit’senoughtoknowwherethey’reworkingandtoofferfurthertrainingandupgradingtothemincasetheyneedit.

Sometimes it happens that financial support is misused

Thismostlyhappensintrainingcentreswherethereislessexperienceinthisarea.

• The“recipe”forthisis:Don’tgiveanyfinancialsupportbeforehav-ingcheckedthesituationthoroughlyinordertoreduceanydangerofmisuseasmuchaspossible.

• Aspecialrecommendationassortof“safeguard”:Avoidasmuchaspossiblegivingcashsupport.Supportinformofservice(advice)andmaterialismoreimportant(andmoresure)thanmoneyincash.

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• Wheneveryouhavegivenfinancialsupportincash,closeandregularmonitoringisdefinitelyamust.

• It’susefultoincludethismatteroffinancialsupportintothelessonsaboutbusinessethicsandsocialethics.

• Creditsshouldonlybegivenandhandledbyprofessionalagencies(fi-nancialinstitutions)toassureprofessionalmanagementandmaximisetherateofpayback.

Administrative require-ments and taxes don’t often encourage gradu-ates to start up busi-ness

• Atrainingcentreshouldadvisegraduateswithregardstotheseadmin-istrativeissuesandhelpthemtogetalltheofficialpermissionsforstart-up.

• Trainingcentresmayalsohelpfederationsofcraftspeopleinnegoti-atingfiscalreliefforstart-up.

• Theveryfirstsupportforgraduatesandtheirstart-upbusinesshastobethesupportofthe“businessestablishment”assuch,withallitsre-quirements.

Exaggerated taxation suffocates self-employ-ment and entrepre-neurial initiatives of graduates

• Traininginstitutionscanhelpwhileorganisinglobbyingactivitiesinordertofightagainstexaggeratedtaxation.

• Oneshouldtrytonegotiateparticularconditionsforcraftspromotionwiththefiscalauthorities.

Groups who have been financed collectively for start-up dissolve when there isn’t a real link or close relation among the group members

• Developmentorganisationsaswell as trainingcentres that careaboutsocio-professionalinsertionoftheirgraduatesoftenconsiderthe“collec-tiveformula”asanidealsolutionforstart-upsandcraftsbusinesses.How-ever,“groupbusiness”isn’talwaysidealandtheprerequisitesshouldbeexaminedquitethoroughly.Mostofall:Nevergivefinancialsupporttograduatesthat requires as a condition thattheybeassociatedasagroup!

• Whenyouareconvincedthatgroupbusinessisagoodoridealfor-mula,thenpayattentiontotheimportantelementof“affinity”.Grad-uateswhoarerecommendedtosetupabusinessasagroupshouldfeel asagroup.Theyshouldcometogetherbecausetheyliketodothingstogetherorbecausetheyarefriends.

• Asastrategicdecisionyoumayrecommendthatagroupwhichisquitestrongacceptsweakermembersinordertohelpweakergraduates.

• Asinbusiness,evenfriendshipmaysometimescometoanend,soitisadvisablethatgrouprulesandregulationsbeelaboratedinordertohaveguidelinesforconflictsituations.

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• In case of such group business, follow-up also has tomonitor theworkingatmosphereandthemutualrespecttobeupheldduringpro-fessionalcohabitation.

• Incaseofconflictandwhenmediationdoesn’tsucceed,oneshouldnotpersistinkeepingthegrouptogether.Ifmembersofagrouparenotongoodterms,theirworkperformancewillsufferfromthisandconsequentlysowilltheirincome.

Money and its shar-ing or distribution in the group is one of the main points of conflict that leads to breakup

• Agroupthatisdoingbusinesstogetherneedsa“conceptofbusinessregulation”.Thisregulationhastostateclearlyhowtheprofitrealisedbythegroupwillbedistributed.

• Thebestsystemofprofit-distributionistopayeachmemberofthegroupaccordingtotheorderthathehasexecutedoraccordingtotheitemthathehasproduced.

It also happens that conflicts arise about leadership when it comes to the question of who should be the representative of the group

• Inagroupofex-graduatesthereisn’tabosswithemployeesbutallofthemhavethesamestatus.Thus,representativeleadershipcouldbeorganisedasaperiodicandrotatingsystem.

Common goods in a group (like tools and equipment) are often used, handled and cared for irresponsibly When something be-longs to everybody, it is sometimes felt as if it doesn’t belong to any-body

• Thereistheneedforspecifyingworkproceduresandmanagementinaregulationthatalsodefinesresponsibilities.

• Sucharegulationthathastobedevelopedbyallmembersofthegroupmustalsocitepotentialfaultsandappropriatepenalties.

• Thebestwaytoassureresponsibilityinthissensewouldbeforeachmembertogethisowntoolsthathehastocarefor.

Adequate guidelines for the management of crafts business are of-ten lacking The classi-cal and academic forms of business manage-ment are sometimes too complicated and not adapted to grassroots realities

• Encouragethegraduatesandothercraftspeopletodeveloptheirownregulations.Theywillbemoreresponsibleintheuseoftheirowndoc-uments.

• Don’trequiretooclassicalandacademicformsofmanagement.Craft-speoplewillnothavethecapacitiesnorthewilltodoso.

• Observetheirownwayofmanagingthingsandgoalongwiththemaslongasthisdoesn’tgenerateconflictsanditcontributestomotivationandtothegrowthoftheirbusiness.

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Five experiences of self-employment

1) People who are real entrepreneurs don’t like “collective” forms of business that much

Ms.Luciewasasinglemotherwhohadbeenrejectedbyherfamily.Shewastrainedindressmakingandasshewasamongthosewhomwewantedtosupportfortheirprofessionalinsertion,werecommendedshejoinupwithtwootherdress-makers.Whentheywereagroupworkingtogetherinaworkshopintown,theydidn’treallygetonwitheachother.Severalyearswentbyandtheystilldidn’tprogress.Thus,oneday,Ms.Luciecametousandsaidthatshenolongerwantedtocontinuewiththiscollectivework,thatshewantedtohaveherownbusinessinordertorealiseherownvisionsoflife.Theunitinchargeofinser-tionandfollowuprefusedherideaandtriedtoshowherallthebenefitsofcollectivework,asweusuallybelievedinit.Completelyfedup,shethendecidedtodoitonherown,breakingupwithoursupport.Onlyfouryearslater,sheowns16sewingmachinesandhas9employeesworkingwithher,whomsheregularlypays.Herworkshophasgrownintoarealbusinessandwehadfinallytorecognisethatcollectiveworkisnotthebestformforeverybody.

2) Practising the craft together – a good option for construction work

Groupinggraduatestogetherforworkcanbeagoodwayofinsertion,butitalldependsonthecaseandontheeconomicenvironment.In2011,CAPAhadreceivedtherequestfrom38masonswhowantedtoupgradetheircompetenciesastheywerestilljustworkingashelpers.Theyhadbeentrainedbyustogetcertificatesandwhenitcametothejuryfortheirtest,theyperformedverywell.Atthemomentofthedeliveryoftheircertificates,infrontofalargeaudiencewithmanycontractorspresentaswell,the38graduatessurprisedeverybodybyannouncingthattheyhadjoinedtogethertoformanassociationnamedAMKA.Oneofthecontractorswhowaspresentattheceremonypromisedtocontractthemfortheconstructionofthreebuild-ingsinamilitarycamp.Sincethedayoftheceremony,theyhavewornbadgesshowingthattheyaremem-bersofanassociation.CAPAhadgiventhemsometoolsandtheythemselvesalsoacquiredworkmaterial.Theyworkwellandquickly.Astheyareagroup,theconstructionownerstrustthemandsothey’renevershortofconstructionorders.Today,theyalreadyhave68helpersintheirgroup.

3) Too much follow-up of graduates finally ends up defeating the purpose of follow-up, particularly when the graduates themselves don’t need it

In1998,wewerewaitingforanexternalteamtoevaluateourtrainingprogramme.Therefore,themembersofourfollow-uptaskforcewereworkingevenmoreintensivelywiththegraduateswhowereself-employed.Particularattentionwasthengiventotheirbookkeeping.Convincedthatitwasabsolutelyindispensableforagoodbusinesstohavesomeclassicbookkeeping,wehadtrainedthegraduatesinthisandwewantedthemtokeepthesedocumentsregularly.Butwehadalwaysbeenfrustratedbyreality,asthegraduatesonlystartedtodotheirbookswhentheyknewthatthefollow-upteamwouldvisitthem.Thusthedocumentswerenevercompleteandourtaskforcealwayshadtolistentothemostincrediblestorieswhythiswasthecase.Asthisrealityhadalwaysbeenthesameovertheyears,thegraduateshadbecomesuspiciousofourfollow-upteam.Ourstaffwasfrustrated,consideringthistaskasacompletefailureonthepartofthetrainingcentre.

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Butwhentheevaluationteamhadarrived,evidenceshowedup:thegraduatesexplainedthattheydidn’twanttokeepbooksandtheconsultantsentbythedonoraddedtooursurprisethatitwasn’talwaysagoodideatoobligecraftspeopletokeepbooks.Wesometimesunderestimatecraftspeoplewhilethinkingthattheycan’tmanagetheiraffairswellwhentheydon’tkeepclassicaccountingsystems,butinrealitytheysometimesknowhowtodoitinanappropriateway.Afterthisexperience,wenowtrytofindoutwhattherealneedsofthegraduatesarewithregardstothefollow-upoftheirsmallbusiness.

4) Giving financial support in cash turns out to be a temptation when there is no regular follow-up

In1998,wehadagraduateofcarpentry,Mr.Claude,whowaspractisingthetradewellinhisvillage.Hehadimpressedthefollow-upteambythefactthathehadtakenin9apprenticesintohiscarpentryworkshop.Hehadthenaskedustosupporthisworkshopwithalltheseapprenticesandtogivehimsomemoneyfortoolsandmaterial.Wegavehim$380forthepurchaseoftoolsatBukavu.Hewasaskedtobuytheitemsandtoshowthemtousbeforegoingbacktohisvillagelocatedatadistanceof52kmfromBukavu.Butweneversawhimcomebackasagreed.OneofourstaffmemberstoldusthenthathehadseenMr.Claudeinthecity:henotonlyhadbeendrunkbuthealsohadabignewradiowithhimandsomeotherthingsthathehadbought.Whenourfollow-upteamwentlaterontoseehiminhisworkshop,theynevermethimandobviously,nothinghadbeenboughtfortheworkshopwiththismoney.Weknewlaterthathewasalwayshidingwhenheknewthatourstaffwascomingandhejustcameoutwhentheyhadleft.Wehavelearntalotfromthisexperienceandsincethenwerathergivemoney“inkind”,thatisastoolsormaterialandnotincash,andwefollowupsuchasupportquiteintensively.

5) How financial support for a blacksmith’s shop was “transformed” into a living house

Wewouldliketodescribeanothercaseof“misuse”,aswethinkitisimportanttorecommendcautionwhenitcomestofinancialsupport.Whentheneedsofanapplicantarenotthoroughlyanalysedandwhensupportisgivenwithoutbeingintensivelymonitored,thendeviationandmisuseareinevitable.ThiswasourexperiencewithMr.Stop,ablacksmith.Mr.Stopwasworkingtogetherwithotherblacksmithsandhelpersinhisshopthatwasthatch-covered.Heinsistedalltimetothefollow-upteamandeventothedirectorofCAPAthatheneededagoodsolidwork-shopcoveredwithametalsheetroof.Asweconsideredhimasagoodrolemodelforthecraftofblacksmith-ingthatisnowadaysdyingoutasatrade,weagreedtosupporthim.Weletthreemonthsgobywithoutvisit-inghim,whichwasquiteanerror.Whenwethenarrivedoneday,wefoundhimandhisfamilycomfortablyinstalledinthenewlybuilt“workshop”,whilehisformerthatchedhuthadbecomehisworkshop.WewereallshockedbythisbehaviourandMr.Stopwasorderedtoappearinordertoaccountforhisaction.However,Mr.Stopdidn’tshowanysignofremorse.Hesaidthatit’sunacceptableforpeopletoliveinahutwhenmaterialiswellprotectedinahouseandthatweshouldunderstandthat.Againwehadlearntourlessonbutuntilthisday,Mr.Stopandhisfamilywouldnotmoveoutofthe“nicelybuiltworkshop”.

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Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of when supporting self-employment • Oneshouldnever“puttogether”graduatestoagroupiftheythemselvesdon’thavethisideaand

don’tfeelit.• Withfinancialsupport,oneshouldalwaysbecautiousbecausemisusecaneasilyhappen.• Don’tdofollowupaccordingtoyourownideasofwhatcould beneededbutfindoutwhatgraduates

reallyneed.• Trainingconceptsshouldtakeintoaccountwhattheintentionsofthefuturegraduateswillbe–to

lookforajobortobeself-employed–andshouldpreparethemaccordingly.

What facilitates success in the support of self-employment• Insertionandstart-upforself-employmentshouldbetreatedasaconcreteissuebeforeandduringthe

training,sotheycanbeimplementedafterthetraining.• Checkwellwhoamongthetraineesandgraduateshasgotanentrepreneurialprofileoratleastsome

ofthemaincharacteristicsofitasthiswillbethebestguaranteeforsuccessfulself-employment.

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Vocationaltrainingandgender

Vocational training and gender

Current issues

Whenitcomesnowtovocationaltrainingwithregardtogender,thesituationcanbedescribedinonesentence:generally,vocationaltrainingisthereformen.Thisstatementcouldappearaspolemicbutit’snothingmorethanthetruthandthereality.Whereveryoucheckwhatkindofvocationaltrainingisprovided,youwillfindthatthenumberoftrainingbranchescon-sideredtobe“formen”goesfarbeyondtheamountofthoseintendedtoreachgirls.Thissituationisnotonlyduetothecommonstereotypethattellsuswhat’ssuitableforgirlsandwhat’sratherforboys,it’salsoaresultofwhatwecouldcall“conceptualwill”:thereislessattentionpaidtotheissue,therearelesseffortsmadetochangesomethingandoftenthisisduetoalackofwilltodealwithit.Thetrainingbranchesofferedtogirlscanbelistedquickly.Theyare:dressmaking,cooking,hairdressing&beautyandofficetechnology.Withregardtothetrades“formen”,sometrainingcentresarewillingtoacceptgirlsinthese,whileothersaremorereluctant.However,thereluctanceonthissidedoesn’tresultinfurthereffortsbeinginvestedintofindingoutwhatkindofvocationaltrainingcouldbeofferedtogirls.Alltheseelementstogetherresultinvocationaltrainingforgirlsbeingratherstagnant.

What is the specific challenge with regards to gender?

Thefirstchallengeforatrainingcentremightbenottoconsidergirlsassortofannextoboys.Withregardstopovertyalleviation,womenaremorelikelytouseincomeforthehouseholdthanmen.Thisisacommonexperienceindevelopmentandshouldalsohaveimportancewithregardstovocationaltrainingopportunitiesforgirls.Thesecondchallengewouldbetomakesomeeffortsinordertofindoutwhatkindofopportunitiesdoexistforgirlsandtothenincreasetherangeoftrainingoffered.Thethirdchallengefinallyistoacceptthattherearegirlswhoreallylikethesocalled“tradesformen”andtoencouragetheminthis.

What we are frequently asked about gender

(1) How do you consider gender at CAPA?Wearelocatedinaculturalcontextwhereitiscommontodistinguishwhatkindoftradeissuitableforwomenandwhataretradesformen.Afterhavingexperiencedmanydifferentcases,weatCAPAarecon-vincedthattherearenotradesforwomenortradesformen:womencanpractiseanytradeandtheyeven

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canexcelinso-calledtradesformen.AtCAPAwehaveaspecialunitforgender&tradesandwehavealsoemployedfemaletrainersinbranchesthatareso-calledmaletrades.

(2) Is there any problem with regards to integration of women into vocational training?Yes,stillthereareproblems.Thereareobstaclesfromoutsidebutalsoinsideourcentre.Womenstillen-counterproblemswhentheywanttojoinacoursethatisconsideredinourregiontobeformen.Weevenobservethesekindsofattitudesinourcentre:wenoticethatmendon’tbehaveinawaythatfacilitatesintegration.Unfortunately,prejudicesandstereotypesarenoteasytoeliminate.

(3) What could one generally do in order to foster vocational training for girls and what do you do at CAPA?

Whatisneededisthatthedirectorsandmanagersoftraininginstitutionsgetthestereotypesaboutwhatgirlscanbecomeorcannotbecome,outoftheirheads,becausethisistheprerequisiteforthewilltodosomethinginfavourofgirls.AtCAPAwetrytodiversifythetrainingbranchesandtooffermoretrainingoptionsforeverybody,forwomenandformen.Whengirlschooseaso-calledtradeformen,thenweassisttheminaparticularwayintheirintegrationduringthetrainingaswellasafterthetraining.Oneofourstrategiesthatisthoughttoawakeninterestingirlsfor“maletrades”istoemploycompetentfemalegraduatesinthesebranchesastrainersatCAPA.

(4) What do you do in order to aid the integration of women who want to learn so-called male trades?Inordertointegratewomenintoso-calledtradesformen,weactonthreelevels.Firstwelistentogirlsandwomenabouttheirindividualchoice.Thenweactonalltheinvolvedpartiesinthecentreandsen-sitiseeverybodytogoodco-existencebetweenmenandwomenwithoutanydiscrimination.Finally,weorganiseconferencesandalsotalkaboutthisissueontheradiotosensitisethewholepopulationsothathabitsandtraditionalthinkingthatarediscriminatingwomenandsuffocatingtheirpotentialcanbeban-ished.Allthepositiveexperiencesarehighlightedandweinviteeverybodytofostertalentsandskillswithoutanyregardofsexandgender.

What are the strategies that CAPA develops to foster gender awareness in crafts and vocational training?

Wehavedealtwiththisgenderaspectsincewestartedreformingtrainingcourses.AtCAPAwebegantodreamaboutasocietywheremenandwomencouldpractisecraftsandtradeswithoutanygenderdistinc-tion.It’snotaboutforcingmenorwomenintocertaintrades:it’saboutpromotingmenandwomenwithregardstotheirwishesandinherenttalents,sothateverybodycanhavethesamechanceswithoutexclu-sion.

Uptonowwehaveobservedthatsocietytreatswomenwhochoosesocalledmale-tradesinadifferentway.Oftentheyarestigmatisedandwhentheygetmarried,theirhusbandssometimesdon’tallowthemtopractisethetrade.Whentheyapplyforajob,companiesmightassignthemfunctionsthatdon’tcor-respondtowhattheyhavelearnt.Eveninourcentreweexperiencedailythatthesegirlsorwomenhavetoendureallkindsofremarksandcomments,verbalderisionsandevenharassment.Allthisdiscouragesthosegirlsandwomenwhoareweakorlessdetermined.Thishasshownusthatit’saproblemofsocietyandthatit’snotonethat’seasytosolve.

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Nevertheless,wehavealsonoticedthatwomenaregraduallystartingtointegratesuccessfullyintoso-calledtradesformen.

Withregardtopractice,atCAPAwetrytoactinawaythatattractsgirlsandwomentotrades.Wehaveaddedtrainingbranchesthatareconsideredsuitableforwomen.Inthepast,theonlytradeofferedtowomenwasdressmaking.Wethenaddedbatik,cooking,hotelbusiness,basketweaving,hairdressingandthefab-ricationofecologicalovens.Womenarealsoaskingforfoodprocessingandforsalestraining,soweareplanningtoaddthesetrainingbranchestoo.Wheneveragirlorawomanpresentsherselfandwantstolearnaso-calledmaletrade,thenweencourageher.Thuswehavefemaletraineesincarmechanics,masonry,carpentry,weldingandinmarinetraining.

Withregardstoadministration,wehaveinstalledadepartmentforgender&tradesthatisheadedbyafemalemanagerwhosetaskistosensitisepeopleaboutgenderissuesandtoassistthestaffindealingwiththem.Wemustsaythattheemploymentofwomenastrainersinthesocalledmalebrancheshasturnedouttobearealsuccess,asitmakeswomenjointhesebranches.Wehaveonefemaletrainerinwelding,twoincarpentryandoneinmasonry.

Wehavealsointegratedwomenintothesportsactivitiesofthecentre.Wearethereforeproudtohaveafemalefootballteamthatalsocontributestoprovidingadifferentperceptionofwomeninsociety.CAPAalsotriestopropagateadifferentviewofprofessionalwomenthroughconferencesandradiobroad-casts.Werelyheavilyonrolemodelssuchassuccessfulfemaleentrepreneursinordertosensitisesocietyandtoencouragegirlsandwomen.




Cultural obstacles: stereotypes and preju-dices about female professional activities

• Firstofall:sensitiseallplayersandallpartieswhoareinvolvedintrainingactivitiestoallquestionsrelatedtothepromotionofgenderissues.

• Itemiseallculturaltaboosthatdevaluewomenandmenandthatretarddevelopmentandfightagainstthem.

• Identifythosewomenwhobrokewiththeseculturallimitationsandwhohavesucceededinprofessionalactivities.Usethesecaseswhendiscussingexperiences.

• Usemedia:theatre,banners,graphics,music,etc.…tofightagainstretrogradeculturalbehaviour.

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There is not much di-versity of trades for women

• Listentowomenandtotheirneeds.

• Visitothercountriesandobservewhatwomendothere.

• Deviseotherkindsoftradesthatcanbepractisedintheregionandthatwouldbegoodforwomen.

It happens quite often that girls abandon the trade when they get married

• Sensitisemenandwomenthroughthemediatorespecteachotherandtorespecttheirprofessionalchoices.

• Sensitisethefemaletraineesduringthetrainingtodefendtheirchoicesandtodefendtheirfutureprofessionallife.

• Initiateafemaleassociationofallwomenwhoarepractisingsocalledmale-tradesinordertofosterexchangeamongthem,aswellasjointadvocacyfortheirchallenges.

• Invitemenwhoarebeingobstaclestotheprofessionallifeoftheirwivestothecentreorgotoseethemandtalkwiththem.

Girls and women can get discouraged more quickly than men when it comes to professional insertion

• Prepareallofthemduringthetraining,girlsandwomenaswellasmen,toendurethevagariesanddifficultiesoftrainingandofprofes-sionalinsertion.

• Inviteformergraduatestotalkabouttheirprofessionalcareerfromtrainingtoinsertion(thedifficulties,problems,risksandhowtheycouldovercomethem).

With regards to in-frastructure, training centres often are not equipped and adapted for girls (like changing rooms and toilets)

• Regardlessofexpense,therespectofgenderandofintimacyofmenandwomeninthetrainingandworkenvironmenthastobeapar-ticularpreoccupationfordirectorsandmanagersoftrainingcentres.

• Womenandmenmusthavetheirownchangingroomsandsanitaryfacilities.

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Three experiences of gender issues

1) A mother wanted her daughter to learn dressmaking but the daughter chose masonry

WenoticethatintheenvironmentofCAPAthesocalledmale-tradesarelosingtheirmysticismmoreandmore.Onedayamothercametouswithherdaughter,asinglemother,toenrolherfordressmaking.Butwhenthedaughterhadbeengivenatourandshownthevarioustrainingoptions,shedecidedtobecomeamason.Hermotherandotherwomentriedtodiscourageherasmuchaspossiblebutshesetahighvalueonfin-ishinghertrainingandonpractisingthetrade.Asshewasasortof“curiosity”asafemalemason,peoplewerecurioustoseeheronaconstructionsite,soshegotquitealotofworkorders.Shethenjoinedagroupofmasonsandworkedwiththemonconstructionsites.In2014,shemetafellowmason,whowasalsoaformergraduateofCAPA,andfellinlove.Theygotmarriedin2015.Shesaysthatbeyondlove,therewastheparticularmotivationforher:thefactthatwithamasonashusbandshewillsurelycontinuewithherwork.Otherwisetherearemanymenwhodon’tlettheirwivescontinueworkingaftermarriage.

2) Fighting a double stereotype: over 50 and mother of seven children, she becomes a welder

Beingover50andhavingsevenchildren,Ms.Fifyisnolongerwhatpeoplewouldconsidera“normal”candidateforvocationaltraining.ShehadbeenworkinginaCatholicparishofBukavutohelpvulnerablepeople,butonedayshejustdecidedtoenrolinweldingatCAPA.Alreadyduringthetraining,itbecameobviousthatshewasquiteaparticularpersonality,showingverypositiveattitudesandhelpingothertrain-ees.Whenwenoticedherresponsibility,herorganisationalcapacitiesandhercompetenciesinexplaininglessonstofellowtrainees,wedecidedtoemployherasatrainer.Thus,todaysheisinchargeoftrainingandproductioninthemetalworkshopofCAPA.

3) Marine training – a woman wants to be different

TherewasonceagirlnamedGeorgettewhowasdeterminedtodosomethingdifferent,bychoosingatrainingbranchwheretherewerenowomen.Shewantedtobetrainedfornavigationsoshecouldbecomeacaptain.Whenaskedwhyshehadchosenthistraining,shealwaysansweredthatinherlifeithasbeenveryimportantforhertobe“different”andthatshewantstoshowtoeverybodythatthereisnotradethatisexclusivelyformenorforwoman.Currentlysheisinherthirdyear,whichisthegradeofsteersman.SheisdoinganinternshipononeofthebigshipsontheLakeKivucalled“Emmanuel”.Shehasalreadystartedtosteertheshipandthereportsfromhersupervisorsareverypositive.

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Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of with regards to gender issues• Ithastobehighlightedevenifitmightnotbewelcome:themanagersanddirectorsofvocational

trainingcentresmustbeawareoftheirownculturalprejudiceswithregardstocraftsandtradesforwomenandmusttrytoovercometheserestrictiveattitudes.

• Ifatrainingcentreiswillingtofosterthepresenceofgirlsinmaletrades,itshouldnotbe“proposed”togirls,justletthemchoosethemselves.

• Sexualharassmentintrainingandintheworkenvironmentshouldberesolutelycombatted.

What facilitates success with regards to gender• Whenyousensitisepeopleongenderissues,youshouldbeginwithitinyourownenvironment,as

trainersinavocationaltrainingcentrearenotautomaticallyfreeofstereotypesandprejudices.• Employfemaletrainers,particularlyinsocalledmaletrades.• Sometimestrainingandinsertionofgirlsandwomenrequiresspecificassistanceorfollow-up,

particularlyformale-trades,asthesocialenvironmentcanputpressureonwomeninanattempttodiscouragethem.

• It’saverygoodideatoorganisediscussionsbetweenfemaletraineeswithwomenwhohavesuc-ceededinsocalledtradesformen.

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Resultsandeffectivenessofvocationaltraining

Results and effectiveness of vocational training

Indicators of successful vocational training

Current issues

Inthepast,20or30yearsago,atrainingcentrewascongratulatedwhenahighnumberofyoungpeoplehadbeentrainedandwhentheyhadsimply“passedtheexams”.Nowadays,thisisnolongerenoughasindicatorforsuccessfulvocationaltraining.Thereasonisthatithasbecomeobviousthatahighnumberoftrainedpeopleisnotautomaticallyasynonymfor“usefultraining”.Donorsandotheractorsindevelop-mentstartedtoaskquestionsabouttheemploymentoftheseyoungpeopleandinmanycasesitbecameclearthattraininghadnotprovidedanyemploymentopportunities.Wethereforehavetorepeatwhathasbeensaidrightatthebeginningofthisbook:vocationaltrainingisnotthesamethingasgeneraleduca-tion.Invocationaltraining,youcan’tjustbecontentwith“havingtrained”people.Therelevance,qualityandutilityofvocationaltrainingmustbereflectedinitsresultandthisresultiscalled“employment”.Allindicatorsofsuccessfulvocationaltrainingarethereforealignedtowardsfactorsthatarerelatedtoemployment:thenumberofgraduateswhoareemployedorself-employed,thenumberofthoseworkingintheirspeciality,thetimethatithastakenthemtogetemploymentandthequestionofwhethertheirincomeisimprovingtheirlivingconditions.

What is the specific challenge with regards to the indicators of success?

Thespecificchallengeregardingindicatorsiseasytoexplainandlesseasytotackle:it’svitaltobein-formedontheworksituationofthegraduatesandtohaveanswerstothequestionsandkeyfactorscitedabove.

What we are frequently asked about the results of vocational training

(1) What indicates that vocational training has been successful?Themainindicatorofsuccessfulvocationaltrainingthatshouldbeconsideredbyanybodyisthepercentageofgraduateswhoarepractisingthetradethattheylearnteitherinwageemploymentorinself-employment.Thisworksituationshouldappearassufficientlysustainableandshouldprocuresubstantialincomecom-paredtotheregional“basketofgoodsforhouseholds”.

(2) Generally, we rather believe that the certificate is the indicator of success?Certificationandtheoccupationaltitlethatgraduatesgetarenotsynonymsforsuccessfultraining.Acer-tificatejustsaysthatthetraineehassuccessfullyfinishedhistraining.Thiskindofcertificateisnothing

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morethanapaperthatcarriestheassumptionofcompetency.Youcancompareittoachequethatbecomesacompletelyuselesspieceofpaperwhentherearenofundsinthebank.Therealvalueofacertificatebecomesmanifestinthecognitiveandtechnicalcompetenciesandinthelifeskillsthatgraduatesshow while practisingtheirtrade,whethertheyworkforanemployerorthey’reself-employed.

(3) Do your graduates easily find employment or become sustainably self-employed?Inaregionlikeourswheretheprivatesectorisverysmallandwheregoodjobsarerare,thegraduatesfindjobsinlocalcraftsworkshops.Mostofthegraduates,however,becomeself-employed.Comparedtoothertrainingcentres,wehavearateofemploymentthatisquitegood:about80%.Therestof20%coversthosewhochangetheirtrade,thosewhoareunemployedandthoseaboutwhomwedon’thaveanyinformation.

(4) Do you always know what has become of your graduates?Currently,ourstatisticsofendof2014showatotalnumberof7214graduatesandweareinformedaboutthesituationof6812ofthem.WeareabletogivesuchexactfiguresbecausewehavetwounitsatCAPAthatareinchargeofthiswork:theunitforprofessionalinsertionofgraduatesandthemonitoringandevaluationunit.

(5) Could it be that you’ve succeeded because you have external financial support?Itistruethatexternalsupporthasaninfluenceonourresults.However,toomanypeoplethinkthatthisfinancialsupportisthemainfactorforoursuccess.Thisisnottrue.Thefinancingthatwereceivegoestoalargenumberoftraineesandtovulnerabletargetgroupswhoarenotevenabletopayfortraining.Thesuccessismainlyduetothe“will”andoperationalcapacitiesaswellasexternaladviceandconsultationthathasstimulatedthemanagementstaff.Westartedwithverylowexternalfinancing.Theamountsweregrowinginproportiontoourcommitmentandtooursuccess.Andbytheway,therearetrainingcentresthatareheavilyfinancedwithoutproducingnoticeableresults.

(6) What is it, then, that has led to your success?Thekeytooursuccessliesinthereformprocessthatstartedin1992,andwhichwasinspiredbyexternaladvice.The“pillars”ofthisreformareteamworkbymanagersandemployees,characterisedbymotiva-tion,decision,determinationanddiscipline;atrainingprogrammethatisbasedonthedemandandtheneedsofthemarket;activelisteningtothepopulation;takingintoaccountofthetrainees’needs;trainerswhoarepractitioners;highpercentageofpracticaltraining;theflexibleconceptofdifferenttrainingdura-tions;seriouscommitmentwithregardstothefollow-upofgraduatesandtheirinsertion.

Which are the approaches and methods at CAPA that facilitate the verification of the success of training?

Obviously,theresultsofanyvocationaltrainingcanonlybecheckedafterthetraining,byexaminingtheemploymentsituation.Themainindicatorsarethereforethepercentageofgraduateswhopractisethetradethattheyhavelearntandtheincomethattheycangetfromitmonthlyandannually.

AtCAPA,wecandemonstrateanemploymentratearound80%(currently78.9%).Thestrongerthemar-ketdemandintherespectivebranches,thehigherthechancesofemploymentforgraduates.Wecancite

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thecaseofthemarinetrainingwherethedemandandneedsofshipownersaresostrongthatinabout60%ofthecases,theyjustkeeptheinternsasemployees.

Inordertoshowevidenceoftheemploymentrate,atrainingcentrehastohavestatistics.AtCAPA,weunderstoodthiswiththereformofourtrainingsystemthatbeganin1992.Sincethenwehaveinvestedmuchefforttolearnabouttheemploymentsituationofourgraduates.Ifatrainingcentredoesn’tknowanythingaboutitsgraduates’worksituation,itwillneverbeabletoknowwhethertheobjectivesofthetraininghavebeenachieved.AtCAPAwehaveadepartmentthatisinchargeofgettinginformationabouttheemploymentsituation.Thisisthe“unitforprofessionalinsertionofgraduates”.Itsworkissupportedbytheunitformonitoringandevaluationofthetraining,whichworkslikeaninternalauditofouractivities,itsfunctionscomprisingthecompilationofthevariousstatisticsonthetraineesandtheworksituationofthegraduatesaswellastheverificationofwhetherthelivingconditionsofgraduateshaveimproved.

Theimprovementofthelivingconditionsistheindicatorthattellsusiftheincomethatgraduatesgener-atebytheiractivitiesissolid;thisisalsocomparedtotheregional“basketofgoodsforhouseholds”.Thechangesinthelivingconditionsasaresultofincomethathasbeengeneratedarewithregardtofeeding,housing,healthcareandschoolingofthechildren.

Beyondthesemainindicatorsofemploymentandincome,wehavegraduallylearnttoobserveotherin-dicatorsaswell:

- informationaboutthesatisfactionofthegraduates’employers- theobservationoftheworkshopsandbusinessesofself-employedgraduatesinordertocheckif

theycoulddeveloptowardsrealentrepreneurship- multiplyingeffectsproducedinthegraduates’workshopslikejobcreationforotherpeople(em-

ployedbygraduates)andthequalityoftrainingforapprentices(youngpeoplewhoaretrainedbygraduates)

- suggestionsthatgraduatesmaketouswithregardstoimprovementoftrainingaswellastheirwishesforupgradingorfurthertraining

- thedegreeofsatisfactionofthepopulationandthemarketthatcanbeverifiedbythedemandandbythefeedbackofconsumers.

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Most of the training centres consider good exams and certificates as main indicators for the success of vocation-al training

• Passinganexamisn’tthefinalobjectiveofvocationaltraining.It’sjusttheroutethatleadstotherealobjectives.

• Italwayshastobekeptinmindthatthefinalobjectiveofvocationaltrainingisthetotalityofeffectsandpositivechangesthatoccurinthelivesofthepersonswhohavebeentrained.

• Theimpactoftrainingonthelifeofthegraduatecanbedefinedbythreeaspects:employment,decentincomeandcompetenciesforprofessionallife.

• Theimprovementofthegraduates’livingconditionsisthecriterionthatservestomeasurethesuccessofvocationaltraining;employ-mentisitsbasis.However,thisemploymentcanonlybeconsideredasrealsuccesswhenitgeneratesdecentincome.Competenciesfortheprofessionallife(softskills)alsoareamongthecriteriaofsuc-cess.

Training centres don’t always consider an institutionalised moni-toring and evaluation system to be necessary

• Amonitoringandevaluationunitshouldbeintegratedintoanytrainingcentresothatthetrainingactivitiescanbeobservedandanalysedinordertoachievetheobjectives.Ifatrainingcentredoesn’thavethiskindofunit,itmayhaveillusionswithregardstoitssuccess.

• Amonitoringandevaluationunithastoactlikeaninternalauditoftheactivitiesandtheobjectivesoftraining.

• Aunitsuchasthiswillalsohelpthetrainingcentreinitsresult-orientedmanagement,astheobjectivesaredevelopedandsharedwithallinvolvedparties.Thustheresultsandeffectsthathavetobeachievedarecleartoeverybodyandcanbeanalysedandcontrolledatanystageofthework.

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Training centres often might not succeed in getting graduates em-ployed because there aren’t enough job op-portunities (formal wage employment) in their economic environ-ment

• Wheneveryouareinaneconomicenvironmentwheretherearen’tmanyformaljobsavailable,youwillhavetodeliberatelyfocusoncraftsandtradesthatofferopportunitiesforself-employment.

• Inthiscase,theideasandprinciplesofself-employmentdescribedintherespectivechaptermayguidetheaction.

One of the elements of failure is when gradu-ates just abandon the trade they have learnt to do something else or to remain unemployed

• Firstofall,wewanttosaythatthisissomehow“normal”.Therewillalwaysbesomegraduateswhochangetheirideasaftertrainingandabandonthetrade.Butthereshouldonlybeafewofthese.

• Themeasuresthatwehavedetailedinthechapteraboutself-employmentwillhelptopreventpeopleabandoningtheirtrade:itismainlythecontractwiththeparentsorguardiansthatwillassurethesupporttothepracticeofthetradeandthefollow-upoftheinsertionofgraduates.

• Wheneveratrainingcentredeterminesthatgraduatesareabandoningthetradetheyhavelearnt,someoneshouldgotoseethemandlistentothemtofindoutthereasonsforthis.Abandonmentcanbeduetothepersonalityofthegraduatehimselfbutitalsocanbeduetofaultsonthepartofhisfamilyorofthetrainingcentre.

• Whenevertherearemanypeopleabandoningacertaintrade,thisisanindicationthatit’stheresponsibilityofthetrainingcentre.Inthiscase,itmightindicatethatyouareprovidingtrainingforatradethatissaturatedonthemarketorthatself-employmentforthisspecifictradeistoodif-ficult,withtoomanyrequirements.Abandonmentmightalsosignifythatthetrainingistooacademic.Inallthesecases,thetrainingcentreiscalledontoreflectdeeplyonhowtochangetheseconditions.

• Whengraduateshaveabandonedtheirtradebecausetheydon’thaveenoughmoneytogetsetup,thecentrecouldhelpthemtofindotherways,likeformingaworkgrouporgettingthemjoinanex-istinggroup.

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Training centres often say that they can’t keep statistics as they aren’t able to locate their graduates

• Statisticsabouttheworksituationofgraduatesareanindispensableelementforanyvocationaltrainingcentre.Statisticsarealsore-quiredmoreandmorebydonors.

• Statisticsontheemploymentsituationareintimatelylinkedtothefollow-upofgraduates.Ifyoufollowupyourgraduates,younor-mallywon’thaveproblemspresentingstatistics.Or,toputittheotherwayround:ifatrainingcentrehasproblemswithstatistics,itmightalsohavetothinkaboutfollowingup.

• Havingeffectivestatisticsmeanshavingfilesforeachyearandeachcandidateandgraduateandupdatingthemregularly.

• Attheveryleast,youneedthepersonaldata(addresses,phonenum-bers)ofyourcandidatesandyourgraduates.

• Thestandardmethodforgatheringthisdataistosensitiseyourgraduatessothattheyinformyouaboutwhattheyaredoingaftertrainingandwheretheyarelocated.

• Alwaystrytohavesomeaddressesofthegraduates’familymem-bers.Ifyouaren’tabletolocategraduatesbecauseeventheirfami-liesdon’tknowwheretheyare,youcanalsoasktheirformerclassmateswhooftenknowaboutthem.

• Anotherwaytokeepincontactwithgraduatesistosupportanasso-ciationofformergraduatesandtoprovidetheopportunityfortheirmeetingsatthecentre.

CAPA’s experience on how to guarantee the verification of results

1) How we succeeded in locating our graduates and in institutionalising statistics of graduates

AssuringtheachievementofourtrainingobjectiveshasbecomearealpreoccupationoftheleadersatCAPA.Whenweinitiatedthereformofourtrainingsystem,wehadplentyofproblemsdeterminingwhereourgraduateswouldbeandwhattheywouldbedoing.Wethenstartedtoconductcomprehensivetracerstud-iesbetween1992and1994,visitingthegraduates’villagesandalsocraftspeopleintowntofindoutiftheycouldtellussomethingaboutourformergraduates.Thegraduatesthatwewereabletofindhelpedusbyindicatingwheretheirformercolleaguescouldbefound.Wenowhaveaninstitutionalisedsystemforlocatingourgraduatessowecangetacompletepictureoftheirsituations.Weknowwhopractisesthetradeandwhohasabandonedit,aswenowregistertheaddressesandphonenumbersofthegraduatesandoftheirparents.

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Wenowobservethewholechainofresults,i.e.thedataonthosewhohavebeentrained,theiremploymentsituationaswageemploymentorself-employment,theincomethattheiractivitiesgenerateandthechangesintheirlivingconditionscomparedtothestartingpointbeforethetrainingandbeforebeinginemployment.Wealsocollectallthisthroughvisitsathomeandbylisteningtopeoplewhoknowthegraduates.It’sonthisbasisthatweevaluatetheachievementofourtrainingobjectives.

2) Observing the results of the training is of strategic importance

Well-analysedquantifiableresultsaren’tjustanadministrativerequirementorforshowingoffyour“suc-cess”:theyareindispensableasfoundationsforeffectivemanagementdecisionsinatrainingcentre.Oneoftheseimportantconsequencesisthereorientingofaction.Weexperiencedasituationin1999thatdemonstratesthisquitewell.Atthattime,wenoticedthattherewerelessandlesscandidatesforcarpentryandwealsonoticedthatgraduatesofcarpentrycamebacktoustobetrainedinanothertrade.Thissituationmadeusalertandwestartedtocheckthiscraftsectorintown.WethenfoundoutthattherewereplentyofcarpentersinBukavuandthatmanyofthemdidn’tpractisethecraftbecausetherewerenoclients.Ourmonitoringandevaluationunitanalysedthesituationasfollows:therewasanoversupplyofcarpenters,asquiteanumberoftrainingcentreswereofferingcar-pentryandlocalcarpentersalsohadmanyapprenticesintheirworkshops.Thissituationwas“topped”bythefactthatrightafterwar,peopledon’tneedfurniture,astheyfirstneedtosurvive.Wethereforedecidedtosuspendtrainingincarpentryandweonlycontinuedwithfurthertrainingandupgradingforcarpenterswhowerealreadypractisingthecraftaswellaswithqualifyingapprenticesfromlocalworkshops.Threeyearslater,anewsituationshowedup.WhenthevolcanonearGomaeruptedanddestroyedhalfofthecity,themarkettheresuddenlyaskedforcarpentersandmanycraftspeopleofBukavumovedtoGoma.OthersmigratedtoKigali.Thus,thewoodworkingsectorinBukavusuddenlylackedmanpower.Wethereforestartedagainwiththetrainingincarpentry.Thefollow-upofgraduatestogainknowledgeabouttheemploymentsituationisthereforeaverygoodindicatorfortheachievementoftrainingobjectives.Analysingthedatathatyougetfromthiswillprovideasolidfoundationforstrategicdecisions.

3) Efficiency – one of the evaluation criteria in vocational training

Whenatrainingcentredoesn’tpaydailyattentiontotheresultsofitsworkanddoesn’tanalysethemorlearnfromthemtobeguidedinitswork,itactslikeatravellerwithoutadestination.Wheneveratrainingcentrereceivesexternalfinancialsupport,theexternalevaluationsthatwillbecar-riedoutwilladdressthequestionofefficiency–anissuethatshouldbeofinterestforanycentreanyway.Infact,amongwhatweconsidertohavebeenfailuresofourworkisawholedecadeofactivitieswhenourtrainingdidnotproducegoodresults.Duringthattime,whichwasthefirstdecadeofourexistence,CAPAworkedlikeaschool,ourtrainingcourseswereclassicandratheracademicandnobodycaredaboutwhatwouldbecomeofourgraduatesaftertraining.Itwasthedonorwho“obliged”ustoinitiateareformprocess,asfinancinghadbeenapprovedundercon-ditionofreform.Atthattime,in1992to1994,aswetriedtofindoutwhathadbecomeofourgraduates,wewerequiteshockedoftheresults,asthenumberofpeoplewhomwehadbeentrainingoveryearswasquitesmallandtherateofgraduatespractisingthetradewasweak.ItwasonlysomefiveyearslaterwhenthemanagementofCAPAstartedtogetinterestedinanalysing

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theefficiencyofthatdecade.Whilecomparingthebudgetwiththenumberoftraineesandgraduates,theresultshowedahighdisproportion:toomuchmoneyhadbeenusedforfewresults.Duringthattime,thecostoftraining,pertraineeandperyear,addedupto$580.Today,afterreform,weareabletotrainsome-bodyeffectivelywithabudgetofabout$207perpersonandperyear.ThisgaveusarealitycheckaboutthelossesthatCAPAhadproducedinthepast,aswehavetocallit“loss”whenyoucoulddomuchmorewithabudgetthanwhatyouaredoinginreality.What’smore,we’renoteventakingintoaccountthelossesoftimeandmoneyforthepeoplewe’dtrained.Whenyou’rebeingreform-orientedandconsideringaspectsofefficiency,youalsogetthechancetohavearationallookatyourmanagementpractice.Itisindeedpossibletomakemoreefficientuseofabudget.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of • Don’tconsiderexamsastheonlyandbestindicatorofsuccessfultraining.• Neverstartanytrainingactivitywithoutthinkingofwhatthepossibleemploymentsituationafter

trainingwillbe.• Don’tbeafraidofmistakesandfailuresanddon’thidethemaway.Youjustpunishyourselfbydoing

this.

What facilitates success • Steadyreflectionandattentiontotheresultsofyourtrainingactivities.• Integratemonitoringandevaluationintoyourconcept.• Havingstatisticsandanalysingthemasthishelpstomakegoodmanagementdecisions.• Beopentothefeedbackfromallinvolvedparties:thementorsintheinternship,theemployersof

graduates,thegraduates,theclientsofself-employedgraduatesetc.• Applytheprinciplesofresult-orientedmanagement.• Acceptfailuresandlearnfromthem.

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Institutional issues

Current issues

Institutionalproblemslinkedtothemanagementofavocationaltrainingcentrearerathergeneralandareusuallywellknown.Aswehighlightedintheintroductiontothismanual,weareatrainingcentrewhichhasundergoneacomprehensiveandlongstandingreformofitstrainingsystem.Therefore,wespecificallyfocusinthisguideonquestionsthathavetodowithareformedsystemandwithnewchallengesinvoca-tionaltraining.Wedon’taddressaspectsofgenerallyknownmanagementissuesofatrainingcentrehere.Withregardstoareformedtrainingsystem,autonomyplaysanimportantrole.Someprivatetrainingcentresareautonomous,whileothersbelongtoaninstitutionororganisation.Youmayfindorganisationalstructuresthatarestrictlyhierarchicalandothersthatallowcertainlatitude.Ininstitutionswithstronghierarchicalstruc-tureitwillusuallynotbeeasyforadirectororthemanagementteamofatrainingcentretointroducereforms,astherewillberesistanceoreveninterdiction.Incontrast,theymayhavecertainpossibilitiesiftheirinstitu-tionallowsgreaterlatitude.Inourfirstbook“Guitars,bricksandsailors”wetalkedmuchaboutinstitutionalissues,aboutobstacles,constraintsandconflicts.Wealsotalkedaboutthestrugglethatissometimesneededwithinthecentrebutalsowithregardstotheresponsibleinstitution,todefendreformideasandtorealizethem.Wedon’twanttorepeatinthismanualwhatwehavealreadydetailedinthefirstbook.Anypersonwhoisinterestedinreadingaboutitcanaskusforafreecopyofthefirstbook.Inparticular,wehavedeliberatelychosenthreemaininstitutionalaspectsthatwewanttoaddressinthischapter:humanresourcesmanagement,trainersandself-financingorincomegeneration.

What is the specific challenge with regards to institutional aspects when it comes to a reform?

Ourexperiencehasshownusthattheunderstandingandthecommitmentofaninstitution(atrainingcen-treasinstitutionalentity)arekeyelementsforanyreformprocess.Itistruethatanyreformwillstartwithapersonwhoistheleaderandwhowantstoinitiateimprovementsandwhoispushingthingsforward.Butifthispersondoesn’tsucceedingatheringahardcoreof“regulars”aroundhimwhosupporthisideasandiftheresponsibleinstitutionhasn’tgottheminimumofcomprehensionofthecause,thenanyreformwillnotbesuccessful.

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What we are frequently asked about institutional issues

(1) What have been or what are your institutional challenges?Ourinstitutionalchallengesare:weakrateofself-financing,whichmeansexternaldependency;lackofqualifiedlocaltrainersforsomenewtrainingcourses;limitationsinworkspace;lackofresourcesandqualifiedpersonnelforinsertionofgraduates.

(2) Are there any challenges between CAPA and the responsible institution you belong to?Therehadbeenchallengesandconflictsinthepastbutmostofthemcouldbesolved.Oneofthemainchallengeswasinterferenceinhumanresourcemanagement.Thechurchthatwebelongtojusttookcom-petentpersonnelandkeystaffoutofCAPAtotransferthemelsewhereintheirstructure.

(3) Does the government (the state) interfere in your activities?Thestate(theministryinchargeofvocationaltraining)recommendscertaincurricula.Theyalsopartici-pateinthecertificationprocess.Financialstateauthoritiesraisetaxesanddues.

(4) What is the nature of your relationships with other training centres in the region?WeinitiatedanetworkwithallthetrainingcentresofSouthKivu.Weactasaresourcecentreofferinginternshipsfortheirtraineesandfurthertrainingfortheirtrainers.

(5) What are the qualities and competencies that a manager (director) of a vocational training cen-tre should have?

Theidealprofileofamanagerofavocationaltrainingcentrewouldbethatofatechnicianwhohashadworkexperienceintheopenmarket.Attheleast,heshouldhaveanaffinityfortechnologyandtheworldofwork.Certainly,beyondthat,heshouldhavetheclassicalcompetenciesofamanager.Wheneverthecentrehasthevisionandtheobjectiveoftrainingvulnerabletargetgroups,socialcompetencywillbeamust.

(6) Which departments or functions are the most important ones within a vocational training centre?Atrainingcentreshouldhaveproductionunitsinordertoassuretheeffectivenessofpracticaltraining.Moreover,thereshouldbeapersonresponsibleforinsertionofgraduatesandapersonresponsibleformonitoringandevaluation.Whenvulnerabletargetgroupsaretrained,thereshouldbeasocialserviceintheinstitution.

(7) What is the professional profile of your trainers?Theymustsomehowhavepractisedthetradethattheywillteachandtheyshouldliketeachingpeople.Withregardstotheclassicaltrades,theymusthaveaprofessionalcertificatethatatleastcorrespondstoatechnicianormaster’sdegree.Forallothertradeslikenewcraftsorsmallbusinesses,itisrequiredthattheyhavepracticalexperienceinit.

(8) How do you manage to get good trainers for the different branches and to keep them?Currently,in2014,wehaveateamof18permanenttrainers(employedstaff)andatrainers’poolof28independenttrainerswhomweengageformodulartrainingcoursesonafeebasis.Weaskourtrain-

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ersandeventhetraineesforadviceinordertofindgoodtrainers.Wearenotalwaysabletokeepgoodtrainers.

(9) What do you do in order to assure that the trainers are able to handle the training of difficult target groups?

Wetrainthemforthisthroughspecialfurthertrainingandtheythenhavetheknowledgetheyneedtodealwithdifficulttargetgroups.

(10) How do you monitor their teaching and training competencies?Wedothisinvariousanddifferentways:classvisitsfortheoreticalteaching;monitoringofpracticalexer-cisesintheworkshops;evaluationofthetrainersbythetrainees;analysisofthefeedbackfrominternship;assessmentofthegraduates’competencies.

(11) How do you manage to cover the expenses for the salaries of this big number of trainers?Onemainstrategyhasbeentoreducethenumberofpermanentlyemployedstaffandtoengageindepend-enttrainerswhoworktemporarilyonafeebasis.Fortheworkersintheproductionunits,it’stheincomeoftheproductionthatcoverstheirsalaries.Thebiggestshareoftheexpensesforsalariesiscoveredbythebudgetthatissubsidisedthroughexternalfinancing.

(12) What do you do when you lose one of your specialised trainers?Wehavealwayshadthisproblem:NGOsandotherorganisationsareheadhunting.Theyofferbettersalariestospecialisedworkforce.Inthiscase,wetrytonegotiatewiththetrainers,andthisissometimessuccessful,whileatothertimesitdoesn’twork.Asmanagersofatrainingcentre,wealwayshavetokeepinmindthatinacompetitiveenvironmentyoualwaysrisklosinggoodmanpower.Strategicallyyouthereforehavetoplantwospecialisedtrainerspertrainingbranchinordertoassurecontinuationincaseofsomedeparture.

(13) How do you handle failures and misadventures?Thereformofourtrainingsystemhastaughtusnottoconsiderfailureasabadthingbuttoperceiveitasalearningopportunity.Welearntthatyoushouldn’thideitawayandyoualsoshouldn’tblameanybodyforfailuresbuttakeitasapossibilityofreflectionandlearnfromit.

(14) Being a training centre, where should we start and what would be the most important ele-ments to be considered if we also wished to carry out a reform of our training system?

Themostimportantthingistoknowortofindoutifthetrainingthatyouareofferingprovidesthetrain-eeswiththenecessarycompetenciesforaneconomicactivityinthelabourmarket.Ifyoudon’tknowityourself,youshouldcarryoutatracer-studyofyourformergraduates.Ifyoucan’tdothisorifyouaren’tabletofindyourformergraduates,thentrytofindoutonthelabourmarketifthetrainingmatcheswiththerealmarketdemandandtowhatdegreeitprovidespracticalexperiencethatisrequired.

(15) We would like to open a school for vocational training, so what advice can you give us?Beforeopeningatraininginstitution,youshouldidentifythemarketdemandtofindoutwhatproductsandservicesareneededandwhattheopportunitiesforemploymentorself-employmentareandyoushouldalsofindoutwhoyourtargetgroupsareandwhatneedstheyhave.Thenyoushouldstartthinkingaboutwhereyoucanfindthetrainersandifyouwillbeabletoassuregoodpracticalexercises.Ifyoudon’thaveenoughresourcestoequipworkshopsforpracticalexercise,youshouldthinkaboutcollaborationwithenterprisesorworkshopsintown.

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The staff

Current issues

Thestaffofaninstitution,inthiscaseavocationaltrainingcentre,isthekeyfactorforthesuccessofanyaction–fromthetoptothebasis.Beyondthetechnicalcompetenciesthatallactorsshouldhaveaccordingtotheirspecificfunction,motivation,comprehensionandloyaltycountalot.Tobedirectorofatrainingcentre,memberofamanagementteamortechnicaltrainergenerallyrequirescommitmentandrespon-sibility,butthesamefunctionswithinareformedtrainingsystemrequireevenmore.Theydemandrealcommitment,deepunderstandingoftheapproachesthatarenecessaryinareformedtrainingsystemandloyaltyinthefaceoftemptingcompetitiveoffers.

What is the specific challenge with regards to personnel in a reform process?

Thechallengeregardingthepersonnelisnotjustthefactthatyouhavetofindqualifiedpersonsforthere-spectivetasks,asyoualsohavetoassurethattheyfeelanintegratedpartofthiskindofreformprocessandthattheyarereallywillingtocontributetothisparticularexperience.Withregardstotheresponsibleinstitu-tionofatrainingcentre,thechallengeistoensurethatitdoesn’tinterferewithhumanresourcemanagement.

What are CAPA’s approaches and reactions to the management of human resources?

Withregardstohumanresourcemanagement,CAPAfunctionsonthreebasicprinciples:participativeman-agement,teamworkandbeingalearningorganisation.

Byparticipative managementwemeanthatinmostofthecases,decisionsarejointlyagreeduponbythemanagementteamandthetrainers.Wealsotaketheopinionsofthetrainees,whoaremainlyadults,seri-ouslyintoaccount.Theymakesuggestionswithregardstothetrainingprocessandprofessionalinsertion.Weavoidunilateralactsandalwaystrytoseekmutualaccord.

Team workmeansthatthemanagementteamworkstogetherwiththetrainers,pursuingthesamevisionandthesamegoals.Objectivesaresetincommonagreementandsuccessorfailureisownedbyallofus.

Tobealearning organisationmeansthatinallmeetingsofmanagementandtrainerseverybodyisencour-agedtotalknotonlyaboutsuccessbutalsoaboutthingsthathaven’tworkedwell.Weseethesethingsaslearningopportunitiesthatleadtoimprovement.

AtCAPAweareluckytohavesomestaffmemberswhohavebeenwithusforalongtime,whichalsohascontributedtosuccess.Inareformprocess,thestabilityofsomeregularstaffas“institutionalmemory”ismostimportant.Theresponsibleinstitutionofatrainingcentreshouldhaveagreatinterestincontributingtoit,assuringthatcorestaffisretainedandcloselyboundtoacentre.CAPAhasbeenquiteengagedininstitutionaldialoguewiththeresponsiblestructureinordertoassurethis.

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Any training centre that wants to tackle a reform process of its system needs person-nel that is willing and able to follow This is not always obvious for everybody

• Generalandquitecommonmeasuresare:furthertrainingofper-sonnel,exchangingofvisitstootherinstitutions,classicaltrainingcourses.

• Ifsomestaffmemberscan’tbe(ordon’twanttobe)furthertrainedforreformedtraining,thenyoushouldtrytomovethemtootherfunctions(e.g.:trainerscouldbecomeemployeesintheproductionunitsofthecentre).

• Ifnothingispossibleandyoucan’tretrainthemormovethemsomewhereelseandiftheystillaren’twillingtofollowthereformprocess,thereremainsonlythelastoption,whichistopaythemoffandtodismissthem.

A management that is too strict with technical staff and which punish-es the smallest irregu-larity will probably lose personnel they need for the sustainability of the institution

• It’ssadtohavetomentionthis,butexperiencesinourmilieuhavedemonstratedagainandagainthattechnicalstaffmemberstooof-tencommitirregularitiesthataninstitutioncannottolerate.We’retalkingaboutpettyfraud,liesandsimilarthings.Butifwestarttopunishalloftheseacts,we’llsoonbeshortoftechnicallycompetentstaff.

• Whatshouldbedoneinthiscaseistolockdownanykindoffinan-cialmanagement,andbeyondthattobetoleranttoacertaindegreeandnottoterminatestaffmemberstooquickly.

• Ethicalruleshavetobeintegratedintothemanagementofhumanresourcesandhavetoberegularlybroughtup.Trainerswhoaretechnicallycompetentbutmorallyweakshouldbecloselymoni-tored.

• Whentherearerecalcitrantemployeeswhocannolongerbetoler-ated,don’tdismissthembeforeyouhavefoundtheirreplacement.

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There can be dishon-esty in financial affairs

• Allfinancialmanagementhastobesecuredbymeansofproceduresthatdefinepossibleinfractionsandrespectivesanctions.

• Dishonestyandfraudhavetobetreatedaccordingtotheregulations.

• Ifyouhavedishonestemployeesthatyoudon’twanttolosebecausetheyhavebeengoodstaffmemberswithregardstotheirwork,thenthereshouldbeparticularfollowupandquiteclosemonitoringtohelpthemnottorelapse.

Transfer of personnel as “one-way decision” of the responsible insti-tution

Itcanhappenthattheresponsibleinstitutionatrainingcentrebelongsto,interferesbytransfer-ringthebeststaffmem-berstoitsownorganisa-tionalstructure.

• Atrainingcentrethatwantstogofarinitsvisionsshouldadvocateforacertaininstitutionalautonomy.

• Thus,themanagementproceduresofacentreshouldhavesomeregulationsthatprotectthecentreagainsttransferofpersonnel.

• Ifyoudon’twanttobenegativelysurprisedbyone-waydecisionsbyyourresponsibleinstitutiontotransferstaff,youshouldadvocatetoensurethatanytransferofpersonnelissubjecttoyouragreement.Andsometimesyoushouldalsobecourageousenoughtosaynotocertaindecisionsthatdoharmtoyourcentre.Certainly,thisrequiresgoodargumentsandconvincingdefence.

• Itisveryadvantageoustohaveaseatintheassemblyoftherespon-sibleinstitutionthatisinchargeofmakingsuchdecisions.

Three of our experiences with regard to personnel

1) All the staff members resist the decision to transfer a staff member

OneoftheimpressivestrengthsofCAPAthathasalsoalwaysbeenhighlightedbyexternalconsultantsisthecohesionofitspersonnel.Oneday,itwasin2004,allofusweresurprisedbyaletterfromourresponsibleinstitutionthatannouncedthesuddentransferofourbookkeeper,apersoneverybodyappreciatedduetohisgoodwork.Therehadbeennopriorconsultationwithus,eventhoughourmanagementproceduresrequirethis.Theletterjustarrivedonedayintheafternoon.ThedirectorwasnotpresentbutthenewsquicklyspreadaroundCAPA.Whenthedirectorarrivedthenextmorning,thewholestaffstoodthere,infrontofhim,refusingtostarttheirwork,unlesstheywereinformedaboutthereasonsforthistransfer.Thedirector,whoalsodisagreedwiththisunilateraldecision,thendecided,togetherwiththestaff,thatallofthemwouldgoonstrikeuntilthedecisionwasreversed.Arealsit-inwasthenorganisedandthewholechurchinstitutionwasalertedaboutthesuspensionoftheactivitiesatCAPA.

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DuetothisrevoltandthecompletestoppageofallactivitiesatCAPAandconsideringthatthedecisionhadbeentakenwithoutanyagreementonourside,thePresidentofourchurchsuspendedthedecisionandwestartedworkingagain.Sincethisevent,theresponsibleinstitutionhasneveragaindecidedtotransferpersonnelwithoutouragree-mentorwithoutinformingusinadvance.Inordertoavoidthesekindsofunpleasantsurprises,themanage-mentofCAPAobservesanyintentionoftransferquitecloselyandcollaborateswiththehierarchysotheycanbeinvolvedintime.

2) Two people who had been prepared for institutional tenure at CAPA, and at the expense of CAPA, have been taken away by the responsible institution

Ifyouformpartofabiginstitution,unfaircompetitiondoesn’tonlythreatenyoufromoutsidebutalsowithintheresponsibleinstitutionyoubelongto,asbigbossesatthetopofthiskindofbiginstitutiondon’tcareaboutpossiblenegativeeffectsthattheirdecisionsmighthave“atthebottom”.Concernedaboutcompetentsuccessionincaseofhisdeparture,thedirectorofCAPAhadbeenpreparingcapablesuccessorsall15yearsofhistimeatCAPA.Butheultimatelyfeelsquitefrustratedbecausethemanagementoftheresponsiblechurchstructuredoesn’tsharethisimportantvisionofcontinuity.Thus,duringthisperiod,twostaffmembers,oneaftertheother,hadbeencoachedforsuccessionandhadbeensenttouniversityforupgradingandsupplementarystudies,onefor2years,theotherfor5years–andbothhavebeentransferredbythechurchinstitution.ThefirstonehadbeensolicitedforthetopmanagementoftheChurchwherehewasassignedanimportantfunctionduetohiscompetencies.Forus,itwasanenormouslossbecausethispersonwasreallycapableandwefeltthathesomehowoweduswhatwehadinvestedinhiscapacities,whichhadbeenmeanttoserveCAPA.Inthesecondcase,itwasevenworsebecausehehadbeensenttouniversityfor5yearsandthedirectorofCAPAwassurethathehadfoundareallygoodandcompetentrighthandandsuccessorinhim.Butthenoneofthebigchurchprojectsthatwaslackingadirectorcommandeeredhim,sayingthattheywould“bringhimback”whensuccessionatCAPAbecamereality.Wefoundthatthiswasjustbluffingusandweresistedtothedecision.Butthen,thepersonhimselfbegantoseeabetterchanceinthisandwefeltthathehimselfwantedtoleaveus.Now,knowinghowpsychologyworksinaperson,weknewthatifweinsistedonkeepinghim,hewouldstayunwillinglyandhewouldperceiveusasanobstacletohispersonalpromotion.Thus,wefinallylethimgo.Thisissueisoneofoursadstories.WejusthavetheimpressionthattheleadershipatCAPAisconsideredassortof“seedbed”forcompetenttopexecutiveswhoareneededwithintheChurchstructure.Thismakesusloseresources,isblockingourmotivationtoassurecontinuityandfrustratesusmoreandmorewithregardstothepreparationofcompetentsuccession.

3) An employee started to polarise the staff for his own benefit

Peopleatworkhavethepowertopromoteworkortodamageit.Asamanager,it’svitaltobecautiousandit’swisetomonitortheactionsofyouremployeesinordertoassurethattheyarestilldemonstratingpositivebehaviourandattitudestowardstheinstitution.Weoncehadanadministrativestaffmemberwhowasconsideredasortofmodelforeffectiveandcom-petentwork.Heservedourcentreverywellfornineyearsbutinhistenthyearhesuddenlychangedhis

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intentions.HebecameobsessedwiththeideaofmakingthedirectorleavesothathecouldbecomethetopmanagerofCAPA.Hestartedtodividethestaff,givingadvantagestowhoeverwouldfollowhimandmakingfalsepromisestoeverybody.Inthisway,hemanagedtogetaboutafifthoftheemployeesbehindhim.Whenthedirectorfoundoutaboutthis,hestartedtointernallytransfereveryonewhohadsidedwiththisdisloyalstaffmember.Asthisbehaviourhadcompletelydamagedthetrustbetweenthispersonandthedirectorandasthedisloyalemployeefeltashamedofhisactions,heaskedtobetransferredtoanotherfunctionwithintheresponsiblechurchinstitutionandheleftCAPA.Sincethen,themanagementofCAPAhasbeenvigilantandengagedinasortofsocialaudittoassurethateverybodyisstrategicallyalignedtowardsthemissionofthecentre.

Dos and don’ts

What to watch out for: • Payalotofattentiontothemanagementofhumanresources,otherwisetheinstitutioncouldbreak

downwhenimportantpeopleleave-evenifpeopleliketothinkthatnomatterwholeaves,aninsti-tutionwillexistforever.

• Trytoassurestabilityofyourstaff,particularlytheregularones,soasnottolosevaluableexperi-ence.

• Ensurefurthertrainingofyouremployeestotackletheprofessionalchallengesatanymoment.• Payattentiontopreservinginstitutionalexperiencesbycollectingandcompilingthesuccessesas

wellasthefailures.Thiswillservetheorganisationinthefuture.

What’s advisable: • Allthepartiesinvolvedinreforminganorganisationorasystemshouldsharethesamevisionwhile

beingopentoalearningprocess.Inordertotacklethechallengesandreachtheobjectives,theyshouldappropriatethe“fourmanagementDs”,whichare:desire,decision,determinationanddisci-pline.

• Ifatrainingcentredecidestostartareformprocess,itshouldhavesomeautonomy,butwithoutanycultofpersonality.

• Anyreformhasaleaderandthisleaderhastobethetopmanager.Aninstitutionshouldwatchthatcarefullywhilechoosingsomebodyandshouldalsobecarefultokeephim.

• Ifyouhavetoengagesomebodywhohasn’tgotallthecompetenciesthatarerequired,thenyouneedtoanalysewhatcanbestrengthenedbyfurthertrainingorcoachingandwhatprobablyisn’tpossible.

• Thereshouldbeacultureofongoingself-reflectioninatrainingcentre,feedbackshouldbeconsid-eredasnormalandeverybodyshouldbereadytoquestiontheirownattitudesandactions.

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How to find good trainers and keep them

Current issues

Findingreallygoodtrainersisabigproblemforvocationaltrainingcentres,andsoiskeepingthem.Inthepreviouschapterswewerealreadytalkingabouttwoimportantelementswithregardstotheprofileofagoodtrainer:theyshouldbepractitionersandtheyshouldhaveaminimumofpedagogiccompetencies.Inthischapterwewillnowhavealookathowtofindthisspecialmanpowerfordifferenttrainingbranches.Themorespecialisedornewtrainingbranchesare,themoredifficultitwillbetofindtrainersforthem.Unfortunately,evenifatrainingcentrehasfoundgoodtrainerslikethisorithassucceededinqualifyingthemfortheirtasks,it’sstillnotonthesafeside.Therearesomanydirectorsofvocationaltrainingcentreswhoareextremelyfrustratedbecausesomedaytheyalwayslosetheirbestemployees.Frustrationwillbeevenstrongerwhenthetrainingcentrehasinvestedinthesestaffmemberstoqualifythemfurther.

What is the specific challenge with regards to trainers?

Ontheonehand,thechallengesarelinkedtothespecialitiesofthetrainingbranches.Ontheotherhand,thereisthedifficultandquitedelicateissueofwhatkindofworkingconditionsyouneedinordertokeepthebesttrainers.

What “policies” does CAPA apply with regard to trainers?

Beforewedecideonanewtrainingbranch,wefirsttrytofindthetrainersforit.Wedon’tblindlytrusttestsorwhat’sintheirCVs,andwepreferindividualcontactandpersonalimpressions.Thismeansthatwehavetrialperiodsforthecandidatesandweobservethemfortherequisiteperiodbeforeemployingthem.

Weobservethreecompetenciesinacandidate:• Technicalcompetency:whatisthequalityofhispracticalabilities?• Cognitivecompetency:whatishistheoreticalknowledgeofthetrade?• Finally,andmostimportantly,thecompetencyinhumanrelations:thedesiretoteach,toshare,tobe

withyoungpeople.

Weknowfromexperiencethatthetechnicaldiploma(engineer,superiortechnicianetc.)onitsown,isnotwhatmakesthecandidateagoodtrainer,particularlywhenitcomestopracticalcompetency.Beinganexcellenttheoreticiandoesn’tmeanthatsomebodyhastheknowledgeorcapacityneededtotransformthistheoreticalknowledgeintopractice.However,practiceisakeyelementforvocationaltraining.Furthermore,weattachimportancetotheinterpersonalskillsofourpersonnel.Weprefertoemploysome-bodywhoisnotyetperfectasatechnicianbutwhoisgoodwithpeople,insteadoftakingsomebodywhoisanexcellenttechnicianbutwhodoesn’thavethisinterpersonalcompetency.

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Thetrainer’sworkismonitoredandevaluatedasfollows:• withregardstotheoreticaltraining:classvisits,donebythedirector• withregardstopracticalexercisesintheworkshops:monitoringbytheheadsofsections• thetrainees’assessmentandevaluationofthetrainers,donebythedirector• theanalysisofthetutors’feedbackafterinternshipaboutthetrainees’performance• theresultsandeffectsoftrainingobservedthroughtheproductsandservicesofthegraduatesafter

training(thefeedbackfromemployers,craftspeople,consumers).




Sometimes there are trades that you can’t find any trainer for

• Inthiscase,youhavetocollectalldocumentationthatcanbefoundaboutitandjustusepractitionerswhoarepractisingthistradeintown,byimpartingsomepedagogicknowledgetothem.

• Afterthat,youcankeepsomeofthefirstgraduatesofthisbranchastrainersandtrainthemfurtherinpedagogics.

• Youcouldalsoconsiderthepossibilityofgettingtrainersfromout-sidethecountrytotrainlocalpeopleastrainers.

When it comes to a re-formed training system, some trainers might show limits in adapting to it

Ithappensmoreoftenthanyouthinkthattrain-ingcentresdon’tdaretocarryoutcomprehensivereformsonlybecausetheyareafraidthattheythenhavetotackletheissueofstaffmemberswhocan’tadapt.

• Ifit’snotpossibletogetthetrainerstoadapttotheconceptandtherequirementsofareformedtrainingsystem,thenanattemptshouldbemadetomovethemtoanotherfunctionwithinthecentre.Ifthisalsoisn’tpossible,thentheonlysolutionwillbetolegallyterminatetheircontract.

• Dismissingpersonnelisoftenconsideredasa“sociallyunaccept-ableact”,andotherdirectorsmightbemoreafraidofthefinancialconsequences.However,theguidingissueshouldbethemissionofthetrainingcentre:theneedtoreformthetrainingsysteminordertoservetheyouthandthepopulationinamoreeffectiveway.Thus,itisaboutoneperson(hisdestiny)relatedtohundredsoftrainees(whowouldbenefitfromanimprovedtrainingsystem).Theindemnitiesthatyouwouldhavetopayfordismissingatrainerhavetobecom-paredtothe“losses”thatatrainerwhoisincapableofadaptingwillcausebybeingahindrancetoaneededreform.

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• Engagingnewtrainerswhounderstandthevisionandwhoarestrongincertainneededareaswilldefinitelyhelpyoutosucceedinaprocessofreform.

Trainers may not adapt to certain target groups

Trainingcentresthatdecidetotrainparticulartargetgroups(e.g.mar-ginalisedpeopleorlocalcraftspeople)mighthavetodealwiththeproblemoftrainerswhodon’thavethecapabilitytohandletheseparticulargroups.

• Thefirststepwouldbetostrategicallyalignalltrainerswithregardstothespecificcharacteristicsoftheparticulartargetgroupandtotheobjectivesthathavetobereached.Atthesametime,theirweak-nesseswithregardstotherelationtothesepeopleshouldbeidenti-fied.

• Organisefurthertrainingtotackletheskillsgaps.Itisalsousefultobringthetrainerswhohaven’tadaptedtogetherwiththosewhomanageitwellforapeertopeerexchangeofexperiences.

• Givethetrainerssometimeforthisnewkindofworkwiththesetargetgroupstoseeifthey’lladaptlateron.Aswellasthis,dosomeworkonthetargetgrouptofacilitateadaptationonbothsides.

• Trainerswhohavedifficultiesadaptingtosomespecifictargetgroupshouldbecoachedbytheinstitution(themanagement).

• Ifnoneofthesestrategieshasworkedontrainerswhoaren’tadapt-ing,thentheyshouldbeletgo.

Usually, training cen-tres with a formal sta-tus (and non-formal ones that want to pass to a formal status) are officially obliged to only use trainers with a cer-tain professional profile and diploma

Thismakestrainingcen-tres“obey”bydismiss-inggoodpractitionerswhodon’tmeettheof-ficialrequirements.

• Reallygoodtrainersareatreasureforatrainingcentre.Don’tthrowthistreasureawayonlybecausethegovernmentformally“obliges”youtodoso.Ifyouhavereallygoodtrainerswhojustdon’thavetherequireddiploma,youshouldmakeeveryefforttokeepthem.

• Thebestsolutionwouldbetohelpthemtogettherequiredqualifi-cation.

• Ifthisisn’tfeasible,youcoulduseotherstrategies:youcouldhavethemcontinueinmodularcoursesthatyouoffer“inparallel”totheofficialcourses.Oryoucould“subordinate”themtostaffmemberswhohavetherequireddiplomaandwhoaresupposedto“supervise”them(independentlytowhatmighthappeninreality).

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Good and competent trainers are “headhunt-ed” by other organisa-tions or by competing training centres

Theissueofhowtokeepreallygoodtrainerswhentheyareofferedbetterconditionssomewhereelseisanordealforanytrainingcentre.

• Youshouldalwayscarryinmindthatyourbesttrainersareinhighdemandandthathead-hunterswillbetryingtomakethemleave.Ifyoubearthisinmind,youwilldevelopsolutionsbeforethiscanhappen.

• Youshouldalwaystrytomaintainverygoodrelationshipswithkeystaffandyourbesttrainers.Inthisway,you’llfindoutprettyquick-lywhencompetitivetemptationsshowupforthemandyoumaybeabletoreactinawaythatpreventsyoufromlosingthem.

• Youshoulduseallkindsofpossibletacticsformotivatingandre-tainingcompetenttrainersbecausetheyarethehardcoreofyourcentre.Somewaystodothisincludecreditaccommodation,furthertraining,bonuspaymentandparticipationatmanagementlevel.

• Youcouldalsotrytomakespecificcontractswiththemthatfixacertaindurationfortheiremploymentatthecentre.Ofcourse,thishastogowithsomespecificallybeneficialconditions,otherwiseitwon’twork.

• Lawsmightalsohelpincombatingthehead-hunters.

• Atanyrate,youshouldavoidhavingonlyasinglehighlycompetentpersonforatrainingbranch,asheadhuntingisnottheonlythingthatcanmakethepersonleave.Illnessanddeathcouldalsotakepeopleaway.

• PlacehighlycompetenttrainersquicklyintoaToTscheme:makethemtrainothersinyourcentrewhocanbesuccessorsincasetheywillleave.

Three experiences we’ve had with trainers

1) Trainers who show reluctance toward the requirements of a reformed system (experience from the early days)

Startingaprocessofreformbringsupchallengesandobstaclesthatrequireuncommonsolutionsinordernottoblocktheprocess.Ourreformthatstartedin1992isatellingexampleofthis.ThechangesthatourdonorsrequiredhadbeenwellacceptedbythemanagementofCAPA,whoconsid-eredthereformtoberelevantforourtrainingsystem.Thetrainers,however,werequitereluctantaboutitbuttheyneverexpressedthisinfrontoftheexternalconsultantswhocametohelpuswiththereform.Thus,eachtimewhenthemanagementofCAPAwantedtoinstallareform-orientedapproachorpractice,

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itcausedanegativeatmosphereandresistance.Thereformhadbeenaconditionfortheexternalfinancingandthemanagementwasafraidthatwewouldlosethesubsidieswhenthedonorfoundoutthatthetrainerswererejectingmanyofthenewideas.Thus,wefeltobligedtotellsomeminorlies,assuringthepartnersthatthereformwasgoingwell.Thedirectorwhowasinofficeatthattimealwaystriedtoconvincethestaffinapeacefulway,inthehopethattheywouldappropriatethenewideasandapproaches.Buttheyinformedthehierarchyofourchurch,theresponsibleinstitution(whichalsowasn’tinterestedinthereform),andhewasthreatenedwithdismissal.Wewentonlikethisforsixyearswithbarelyanyprogressintheenvisagedreformduetotheresistanceofthetrainers.Whenachangeofdirectortookplace,thenewdirectoranalysedthesituationquitewellandknewthatthereformprocesswouldn’tprogressunlessthetrainerssupportedit.Hethensuggestedthatallthecontractswiththetrainersbedissolved,butobviouslythehierarchydidn’tacceptthisunpopulardecision.Thesituationdidn’timprove.

Thenoneday,whenthehigh-rankingsuperintendentofthechurchwasabsent,thedirectorworkedupthecouragetodothingssingle-handedly.Heinformedthelabourinspectorateoftheprovinceanddismissedthewholestaff,whichwas13people.Asthiswasanirreversibledecision,CAPAwasthenfreetofindcompetenttrainerswhowereagoodfitforthereformideasandtheywereengagedformodulartrainingcourses,aswasrequiredbythereform.Thedurationofthetrainingwasreducedandwithinoneyearthenumberoftraineeshaddoubled.This,then,wastherealbeginningofthereform.Theeffectsofthisdecisionandtheprogressoftheworkconvincedeverybodythen,andtodaytheresultsspeakforthemselves.Thisiswhywehighlighthownecessarycourageisinareformprocess.Evenifitsometimesrequiresharshdecisionslikethedismissalofstaff,thisshouldbedoneifthisstaffhasbecomeanunremittingob-stacle.It’struethatatthebeginningyou’llbestandingalonewhenyoudaretotakesuchdecisionsbutatthelatestwhentheresultsandsuccessesconfirmyourdecisions,everybodywillapplaudyou.

2) When our best mechanic was headhunted

Inourworld,wheretheenvironmentissocompetitive,thebestmanpowerwhoarethemostneededhardcoreforanorganisationareoftensoughtafterbyothersandheadhuntedbythem.Wehavebeenvictimsofthisonseveraloccasions.Whenwewerelookingforagoodcarmechanicasheadofourgarage,wehadtriedoutthreepeoplewithinaperiodoftwoyears.Wefinallyhitthemarkwiththefourthone,apersonwhonotonlywastechnicallyverycompetentbutwhoalsohadcognitivecapacitiesandcompetenciesinhumanrelations.Wewerereallygladtohavefoundthispersonwhowassoexcellentinhisjobandwhobroughtmanytraineesandmanyclientstous.Weusedalltacticsandstrategieswecouldinordertoofferhimthebestworkenvironmentandthebestconditionstomakehimstay.Itwasinvain.ABritishNGOhadheadhuntedhimbyofferinghimfourtimesthesalarythatwecouldofferhimandsomeotherbenefitsthatwenevercouldhavedreamtof.Wewerere-allyshockedwhenweknewthathewasleavingusandthattherewasnothingwecoulddotomakehimstay.Withinonlyonemonthwelosthalfofourclientsatthegarageandthetraineesalsostartedtocomplainabouthissuccessor’sabilities.Uptonow,we’veneveragainbeenabletofindsomeonewithhisqualities,skillsandcompetencies.

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3) Destiny also can “take away” a competent staff member

Itisanerrorwhenyoufocusallyoureffortsoffurthertrainingandcoachingintoasingleoneofyouremployees,asthecontinuityoftheworkwillseriouslybeaffectedifsomethinghappenstothisperson.Wemadethiserrorandwepaidseverelyforit.Duringthattime,wehadanexternalexpertinceramicsfromTogowhocameseveraltimestotrainusinthisspeciality.Oneofourtrainerswastheonlyrealcounterpartforthisexpert.Hewasthebestchoiceforthis,ashewascompetentandaccurateinhiswork.Unfortunately,however,someyearslaterhediedinanaccident.Wehadn’tpreparedanythingforhispos-siblesuccessionnorhadwemadehimtrainsomebodyinthisspeciality.Hehadbeentheonlyonewhoknewaboutthistechnology.Everythingwaslost,justlikethat–allthespecifictrainingthathadbeeninvestedforthisbranchdisap-pearedwithhim.Untilnowwehaven’tbeenabletoreplacehimandtheonlythingwecandoistohavethatexpertcometousagaintotrainotherpeople,andthiswillcostusalot.Thelessonwelearnthereisthatwewillnevereveragainhaveonlyonepersontrainedinaspecialityforatrainingbranch.

Dos and don’ts

What to watch out for: • Whenyou’reevaluatingthecompetenciesofacandidateapplyingtobeatrainer,don’tjusttrusthis

diplomaorhisacademicknowledge.• Don’tneglecttomonitoryourtrainersandevaluatetheirperformancesregularlyinordertomaintain

thequalityoftraining.• Toassurecontinuityandquality,youalwaysshouldhavetwocompetentpeopleforeachimportant

section,sothatitdoesn’truinyourworkwhenoneofthemsuddenlyleavesyou.

What’s advisable: • Ifyoubuildupyourowntrainerswithinthecentre(likeformergraduates),theywillbemoreloyalto

theinstitution.• Youshouldtryyourbesttokeepgoodtrainers.• Oneofthereallyeffectivewaystoassuregoodqualityofvocationaltrainingwhilealsoreducingthe

riskoflosingcompetenttrainersistohavemodularcoursesheldbyindependenttrainerswhoareengagedonafeebasis.

• Forpracticalexercisesinvocationaltraining,youshouldengagecompetentpractitioners,likecrafts-peoplewhoseproductsandserviceshavegoodreputation.

• Theassessmentsoftraineesregardingthecapacitiesandattitudesoftheirtrainersareveryusefulintheevaluationoftrainers.

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Incomegenerationforself-financing

Income generation for self-financing

Current issues

Theissueoffinancingvocationaltrainingisadifficultandgrievousquestion,particularlyfornon-formaltrainingcentresthatdon’treceivestatesubsidies.Incontrasttoaschoolforgeneraleducation,avoca-tionaltrainingcentrecan’tfinanceitselfthroughthetrainees’fees–particularlynotifitwantsprovidereallygoodtrainingthatneedswellequippedworkshopsforpracticalexercises.Bestpracticeexamplesofself-financingarequiterare.Mostofthetrainingcentresareinoneofthetwofollowingsituations:eitheryoulimityourtrainingprovisiontobranchesandcoursesthatdon’trequireexpensiveequipmentandmaterialoryoutrytofindexternalsubsidiesfromdonorswhothentaketheplaceofthegovernmentandassumeitsresponsibilities.Aswedescribeditinthechapter“Vocationaltrainingandincomegenerationforself-financing–howtosucceedincombiningthem”,vocationaltrainingcentresusuallyhaveonlytwowaysoffinancingthem-selves:thetrainingfeesandsomecommercialproductionfromtheirworkshops.Ifthecentreislocatedinarathersmalltown,thenthiscommercialproductioncanquicklybecomeitsowngraduates’harshestcompetitor.Besidesthis,you’llscarcelyfindtrainingcentresthathavedevelopedotherstrategiesthanthiswayofincome.Evenfewercentresaredriventobetechnologicalinnovators.

What is the specific challenge with regards to self-financing?

Themostobviousanswerbyanymanagerordirectortothisquestionmightbethatthechallengeofself-financingistofindmoreclientsfortheirworkshops’products.However,thisanswerisabittoosimplistic.Therealchallengeofself-financingforvocationaltrainingcen-tresgoesfurther:it’sthechallengeofcombiningtheneedforincomegenerationwithbeingarolemodelforcreativeentrepreneurshipasaninspiringexamplefortheyoungtrainees.Whatyou’llalmostneverfindinvocationaltrainingcurriculaisactivechallengingofthetrainees’creativityandinnovation.It’ssomehowob-vious:ifavocationaltrainingcentreitselfisn’tabletoservesocietywithinnovativetechnologies,problemsolvingservicesoradvancedproducts,thenitdefinitelywon’tbeabletoinculcatethisspirittotheyoungpeopleittrains.

What we are frequently asked about self-financing

(1) How much do your trainees pay for training?Weavoidtrainingforpeoplefree,asexperiencehasshown:whatpeoplegetforfreeislessvalued.Weknowtherealcostofourtraining:it’sabout$256forayearand$389fortwoyears.Butourtraineesarerarelyabletopaymorethan$60foroneyearand$120fortwoyears.

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(2) What percentage of self-financing do you achieve?Accordingtoourfinancialanalysisattheendof2014,weachievedaself-financingrateof27.8%.Thisisourlocalincomerelatedtotheglobalbudgetforayear.Overaperiodoffiveyears,from2009to2014,wewereonlyabletoincreasetherateofself-financingby4.8%,astherateattheendof2008was23%.

(3) What are your self-financing activities?Overtheyears,wehavedevelopedadozenactivitiesforincomegeneration;theseactivitieswillbede-tailedlateroninthischapter.Asidefromourproductionunits,wehavecreatedaconstructionservice,ahardwarestoreandasmallrestaurant,justtocitesomeofthem.

(4) Do the training fees and the income that you generate through self-financing activities cover the charges of your running costs?

Thefeescannotbeconsideredasasubstantialcontribution.Incontrasttootherprivatetrainingcentresofamore“commercial”character,weareatrainingcentrewithasocialvision.Wewanttogivetomargin-alisedandpoorpeopleaccesstovocationaltraining.Whatourtraineesareabletopaycanthereforenevermakeaconsiderablecontributiontoself-financing.Theincomefromourself-financingactivitiesalsoisn’tenoughtocovertherunningcosts.Nomatterwhateffortswemake,weneverreacharateofmorethan30%.Thedependenceonexternalsubsidieswillre-mainourmainchallenge.

(5) What financial contribution do the government and your church make?Asfarasmoneyisconcerned,we’veneverreceivedanythingfromthestate.Instead,wearehassledby13statedepartmentswhodemandexcessivetaxesanddutiesfromus.Eversince,wehavebeenengagedinnegotiationswiththemtoaskforreductionsorforsomeexemptionswithoutanysuccess.Publicofficialsshowconstantappreciationfortheservicethatwerendertothena-tionbuttheydon’tmakeanycontributiontoit,despitetheirdeceptivepromises.Ourchurchdoesn’tcontributefinanciallyeitherbutsomeofitscontributionscanbeconvertedintomon-ey.We’retalkingaboutworkspace,i.e.theinfrastructureandtheestatethatwereceivedfromthechurch.AsfarastheflowofmoneybetweenthechurchandCAPAisconcerned,wehavetostateclearlythatit’sCAPAmakingfinancialcontributionstothechurchandnottheotherwayround.

What are CAPA’s self-financing strategies and income-generating activities?

Training fees – a limited means of self-financing Wehaveevaluatedthecostsoftrainingandweknowexactlywhatweshouldaskastrainingfees.Butasatrainingcentrewithasocialmissionthatintendstoenablemarginalisedpopulationstoaccessvocationaltraining,wehavecreatedthefollowingcategoriesofcandidates:a) Targetgroupsinareallydifficultsituationofpovertywhodon’tevenhaveaguardian,likestreetchil-

dren,fullorphansandex-combatants:theydon’tpayincash.Beforetraining,theyagreeto“payinkind”,thatistoworkforCAPAaftertheendofthetraining,producingitemsthatwecansell.Otherscanbehelpersintheworkshopsduringthetraining.

b) Targetgroupswhoarenotextremelypoorbelowthepovertyline:theypay5$permonth,thatis$30fora6months’trainingcourseand$60for12months.

c) The“normal”people,whoseparentsorguardianspay$10permonth.

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d) Allcandidateswhoarerecommendedbyorganisations,developmentagenciesorenterprisesthathaveabudgetforthesepurposes,get“alacarte”training.Inthesecases,werequirepaymentoftherealtrainingcosts:$256foroneyearand$389fortwoyears.

Thismeansthatincontrastto“commercial”privatetrainingcentres,wecan’tconsidertheincomefromtrainingfeesasasolidbasisforself-financing.

How CAPA’s self-financing worksTrainingcentresshouldincludetheeconomicaspectintheirsocialvisionofvocationaltraining,whilemitigatingfinancialdependencyandreducingthefocusonexternalsubsidiesasanyaidwillcometoanendoneday.Beyondthat,ourphilosophyisthatincome-generatingactivitiesshouldhavealinktotheobjectivesofvocationaltraininginthesensethatweshouldbearolemodelofentrepreneurshipforthetraineesandgraduates.Asmostofourgraduatesbecomeself-employed,it’simportantthatweshowthemhowbusinesscanbedonebybeingcreativeandmanagingourproductionunitswell.

Basedonourexperiences,wecanrecommendthefollowing:• Thetrainingactivitiesshouldbeasseparateaspossiblefromproduction–andwithregardstoevery-

thing,forinstance,humanresources,managementandequipment.Certainly,traineesmusthaveac-cesstotheproductionunitsforthepurposeofpracticalexercise.

• Ifatrainingcentrehasn’tgotenoughhumanresources,equipmentorworkspacetoseparatetheseactivities,thenthetimeallocatedtoeachactivityshouldbestrictlyadheredto.

• Thetrainingcentrecouldlookforbigcommercialordersandcarrythemoutincollaborationwithgraduatesandlocalcraftspeople.

• Productsandservicesprovidedbytrainees(whoarecheapermanpower)cancontributetoincomegeneration.Thus,practicalexercisesfocusingonrealproducts/servicesgenerateincome.

• Atrainingcentre’sself-financingactivitiesshouldnotcompetewiththegraduates’workonthemar-ket.Wheneverpossible,atrainingcentreshouldcreateproductionunitsorservicesthatareprofitablewhilebeingdifferentfromwhatgraduatesdoorareabletodo.

The management of self-financingWithregardstoorganisationalstructure,CAPAhasseparatedthedepartmentforincomegenerationfromthetrainingdepartment;wewantedtohavestafftodealwiththeissueoffinancialautonomyonadailybasis.Thismeansthatthedirectorisassistedbytwobigdepartments:thetrainingdepartmentandthein-stitutionaldevelopmentdepartment.Thelatterisinchargeofhumanresources,infrastructureandequip-mentandoftheproductionunits.TheheadofthisinstitutionaldevelopmentdepartmentisassistedbytheheadoftheproductionunitswhoisknownastheMORELO(“mobiliser”oflocalincome)aswellasbyabookkeeperwhoisexclusivelyinchargeoftheincomeflowfromlocalproduction.Wehaveasecondbookkeeperwhoisonlyinchargeofseparatefinancialbooksfortheexternalsubsidiesfromourdonor.

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CAPA’s self-financing activities

Ourincomegeneratingandself-financingactivitiesarelistedbelowintheorderoftheirfinancialsignificance:

• CAPA BATIR,agroupoflocalbuilders(112masons,plumbers,carpentersetc.,mostofthemgraduatesofCAPA)thatismanagedbyanagencywithinCAPA.Thisassociationreceivesordersforconstructionsitesandwegetaquotaofthepay,whichgoestowardsself-financing.Wealsousethisservicefortraineeinternships.

• The hardware store:ThisisasmallshopatCAPAthatservesourgraduates,localcraftspeopleandCAPAaswell.Theyallcangetmaterialandtoolsatgoodpricesanditservesasanactivityforincome-generating.

• A small restaurant:Thisisamodestgastronomicserviceforourstaffandworkers,aswellasforemployeesandworkersintheenvironmentofCAPA.Asidefromthat,italsoservesasworkshopforthepracticalexerciseofthetraineesincooking.

• The garage and the welding workshop:opentothepublic,itrepairsprivatecarsandreceivesmetalworkorders.

• Carpentry and wood carving:theyalsoreceiveordersfromoutsideandproducesmallcarveditemsforsale.

• The dressmaking workshop:asidefromthetrainingactivities,theyreceiveprivateordersandpro-duceready-madeclothestobesoldinshopsintown.

• Office work:thisisforthecourseinComputerUsebutitalsoservesprivatecustomerswhoarere-questingcopies,typingorprinting.

• The guitar-making workshop:isusedfortrainingandformakingguitarsorderedbydifferentsortofclients.

• Leather work and shoe making:theyproduceitemstobesold.

• A multi-purpose hall:weuseitforanytypeofceremoniesandwealsorentitoutfromtimetotimetoprivateindividuals.

• The transport service with our lorry:thisisrentedouttothebrickmakerswhentheyneedtransport.

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Problem, difficulties, obstacles Strategy, method or ruse in order to overcome the difficulties

Generally, one of the problems is that too many training cen-tres focus on external financing Thisdoesnotpromotethecentre’sowneffortsanddoesnotassuresustainability,assomedayexter-nalaidwilldryup.

• Firstofall,managersoftrainingcentresshouldaskthem-selvestowhatdegreetheywanttodependonexternalsub-sidies.

• Whenadirector/managerofatrainingcentreisdeterminedtoputasmucheffortintoself-financingaspossible,thenheshouldsittogetherwiththestaffanddiscusstheissueofinstitutionalsustainability,of“selfreliance”.Tomakethechallengeclear,itcanbequiteusefultosimulatetheworstscenario:theendofexternalaid.

Trainees who are not able to pay training fees

Formanytrainingcentres,thetrainingfeesarethemainself-financingstrategy.Somerathercommercialtrainingcentresfunctionexclusivelyonthisbasis:lookingathowtraineescan“bringinmoremoney”istheironlystrategyofself-financ-ing.

• Don’tchaseawaytraineeswhoarenotabletopaythefees.Trytofindsomesmalljobsforthemwithinthecompoundsothattheycan“payinkind”.

• Atrainingcentrecouldalsotrytofindprivatesponsorsorscholarshipsforpoortrainees.

• Whenthetrainingfeesarenotenoughtoassureyourrun-ningcosts,don’timmediatelythinkofraisingthefees:thiswouldpunishthepoorestpeople.Trytofindothersolu-tions.

• Raisingthenumberoftraineestogetmoremoneyisn’tthebestsolutioneither.Itoftenturnsouttobeatrap.Theeffectofthisisusuallyareductioninthequalityoftraining.

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Services “free of charge” for the responsible institution

Quiteoftenwhenatrainingcentrebelongstoaninstitution,itiscon-sideredas“normal”thatallserv-icesofthetrainingcentreshouldbeforfreefortheinstitution.Youwillthenhear:“Thiscentreisoursanyway”.

• Standupagainstthisandtrytoexplainthatservicesforfreehavenegativeeffectsthatwillalsohittheresponsibleinstitutionwhenthetrainingcentregetsintofinancialprob-lems.

• Putapriceonanyservicethatyourenderandtoanyprod-uctthatyoudeliver,invoiceanyuseandcollectthemoney.

Quite often, training centres are not able to separate training activities from production

• Youshouldtrytoallocatetoeachserviceanddepartmentitspersonnel,itsownequipment,timeandmanagementtools.Theaccessoftraineestobothserviceshastobeplannedcorrespondingly.

Some training centres become the main competitors of their graduates on the market, for-getting that their first objective is to train young people so that they can make a living from this

Graduatesaseconomicoperatorswillalwaysloseoutcomparedtothesocialandeconomicpowerofatrainingcentre.

• Formostofthetrainingcentres,itappearstobethebestideaandthe“mostlogicalthing”forproductiontocomefromitstrainingworkshops,butthisisn’tmandatory.Atrainingcentrecan(andshould)developentrepreneurialcreativityandtrytoinnovateinsteadofcarryingoutjustthesamestandardactivitiesthatgraduatesalsowilldo.

• Whenthestandardservice/productionappearstobetheonlypossibilityforatrainingcentre,thentryatleasttolocateyourproductionorservicesinareasthataremoredifficultforgraduatesasindividualeconomicoperators(e.g.servicesonbigequipmentthatgraduateswillneverpossess).

• Anotherpossibilityistohavegraduatestakepartinordersforthetrainingcentre.

At a training centre there might be a lack of orientation and guiding with regards to self-financing activities

• Createamanualofproceduresthatincludesacodeofcon-ductforself-financingactivitiestogetherwiththerespec-tivepenalties.

• Developastrategicplanforthetrainingcentrethatin-cludestheprojectionofself-financingactivities.

• Devisebusinessplansfortheproductionunits.

There might be a lack of work-ing capital and equipment for production

• Atrainingcentreshouldactasabusinessentityandsavemoneyinordertograduallybuildupworkingcapital.

• Youcanalsotrytogetmicrocreditfromfinancialinstitu-tionsiftherepaymentguaranteesarefulfilled.

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Some dishonest workers and employees working in the pro-duction units defraud money while claiming that self-financ-ing is an “impossible thing”

• Applythecodeofethicconduct.

• Productionunitsshouldbecloselymonitoredandregularlycontrolled.

• Paytheworkersintheproductionunitsinrelationtotheiroutputinordertomotivatethem.

• Becourageousanddismissemployeeswhoarecommittingfraudwithregardstoincomefromproductionandwhoare,moreover,blockingtheprogressoftheseactivities.

Three of our best examples of self-financing: creating activities that provide income to CAPA without competing with graduates but, on the contrary, benefiting them, too

1) CAPA BATIR – a successful economic initiative that benefits everybody

Atacertainmoment,therewasademandfortraininginmasonry,asthemarketwasofferinggoodjobop-portunitiesforit.Westartedwiththisnewbranchandmanycandidateswithoutschoolingwereenrolled.Butquitesoonitbecamecleartousthatforthistrainingbranch,weneededconstructionsites,asitisonlytherewheretraineescangetpracticalexperience.Andourgraduateshadtheproblemthattheycouldn’tgetanysignificantconstructioncontractsaslongastheywereactingasindividualswhoweren’tattachedtoanorganisedstructure.However,themarketforconstructionwasreallygood,astherewasasortofapostwarconstructionboom.Sothiswasarealopportunitynotonlyfortheyoungpeoplebutalsoforusasanincomeopportunityforself-financing.ThisiswhenthemanagementofCAPAhadtheideaofcreatingtheagency“CAPABATIR”.Thepurposeofthisagencywastosearchforconstructioncontractsandexecutethemwithgraduates.Theobjectiveswerethenthreefold:providepracticalexperiencetotrainees,promoteprofessionalinsertionofgraduatesandraiseincometoincreaseself-financing.Throughthisagency,whichworkswith96%ofourgraduates,wewereabletogenerategoodincomeforself-financing.ThegraduatesalsolookforclientsandnotifyCAPAwhentheysubmitquotes.TodayCAPAemploys112graduateswhoearntheirincomethroughCAPABATIRandwhoalso,atthesametime,providerealaddedvalueforCAPA.It’sagoodwaytofosterprofessionalinsertionandtocontributetothesustainabilityofthetrainingactivities.

2) The hardware store – income and support

ThehardwarestoreatCAPAwascreatedbecauseweneededaneconomicactivitythatwouldbenefitthecentreaswellasthegraduates.WhenweanalysedthesituationofourworkshopsatCAPAaswellasthatofourgraduates,werealisedthatallofuswerebuyingtoolsandmaterialatthecentralmarket,whichonlybenefitedtradesmenandretailers.WethenthoughtthatwecouldalsomakeaprofitbyopeningourownhardwarestoreatCAPA.Wewould

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alsobuywholesalewherethosemerchantsweredoingitandwecouldsellmaterialtograduatesatpref-erentialrates.Thisincome,aswellasthesavingthatwehavebeenabletoachievebybuyingthematerialforourwork-shopsdirectlyatthesupplier,contributestoourself-financing.

3) A small restaurant – “feeding” everybody

ThedirectorofCAPAwasconstantlyobservingthetraineesandtheemployeesofCAPAaswellasstaffmembersoforganisationsnearbythecentregoingtoeatatthesmallrestaurantsinthevicinity,whichgavehimtheideaofopeningasmallrestaurantatCAPA.Afterhesharedthisideawiththemanagementteam,theprojectquicklysprangintolife.ThisrestauranthasbecomearealtreasureforCAPAasitservesseveralpurposes.Thetraineesdon’tgoouttoeatsomewhereinthetownandsometimeswecanevenfeedsomeofthemostvulnerableandhungrytargetgroupswhenwehavethemeans.Therestauranthasalsobecomeatraininglocationforcooking.Peoplefromoutsideliketocometotherestaurantaswellandtheincomefromthisactivitynowpaysfourpeoplewhoworkthere.

Dos and don’ts

What to steer clear of when it comes to self-financing: - Productionshouldneverbeprioritisedattheexpenseoftrainingactivities.- Theperformanceofatrainingcentreshouldnotbejudgedbyitsinternalfinancing.- Don’tconsidertraineesasa“sourceofincome”,andenrolalargenumberofcandidatesinorder

toassurefinancing,asthiswillhavenegativeeffectsonthequalityoftraining.- Wheneverpossible,atrainingcentreshouldavoidbecomingacompetitortoitsowngraduates.

What’s advisable with regards to self-financing: - Takecareofyourmissionasatrainingcentre:yourfirstobjectiveistraining,notproduction.- Productionshouldalsobeconsideredasonekindoftrainingactivityprovidingopportunityfor

practicalexercise.- Traineesshouldparticipateinproductionactivitiesaspartoftheirtraining.- Trytodeviseinclusiveactivitiesthatareprofitableforallparties:thetrainees,thegraduatesand

thecentre.- Alwaysremembertoseparatetrainingandproductionactivitieswithregardtoequipment,human

resources,managementandbookkeeping,butgivethetraineesaccesstobothdepartments.

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Appendix:Sampledocumentation

Appendix: Sample documentation

Contents

• Tripartite contract for vocational training and professional insertion betweenthetrainee,hisorherparent(guardianorsponsor)andthecentreCAPA

• Concept for vocational training and professional insertion: pedagogical steps or procedures to be followed

• Someexamplesofsubjects for retraining and further training of craftspeople andotherprofes-sionalpeople

• Afewprinciples of psychosocial assistancefortraumatisedpeopleintraining

• Thejobdescriptionforthe head of the “gender” department

• Thejobdescriptionforthe head of the “monitoring and evaluation” department

• Monitoring sheet for the evaluation of lessons / modules of trainers

• Follow-up sheet for graduates (workingvisit)

• Internal tripartite agreement betweenthecentreCAPA,theCOOPECandthegraduateconcerning the financial savings for his or her professional insertion

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Tripartite contract for vocational training and professional insertionbetween the trainee, his or her parent (guardian or sponsor)

and the centre CAPA

BetweentheCentreofvocationalandskillstraining(CAPA),representedbyitsDirector,ontheonehand,andMr.(Ms.)............................................................................................................................................... applicantfortraining,referredtoasTRAINEE,andMr.(Ms.)...............................................................................................................................................referredtoasparent(guardianorsponsor)ofthetrainee,ontheotherhand,

THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN AGREED:

Article 1.Thethreepartiesacceptandagreetoorganiseandimplementthevocationalandskillstrainingaswellastheprofessionalinsertionofthetrainee:Mr,Ms……………………………………………………………………..withrespecttotheproceduresandapproachesoftheCAPAandtheobjectivesassignedtothetraining.

I THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE CENTRE

Article 2.CAPA,whichreceivesandacceptsthetraineeforvocational/skillstraining,hastheobligationsbelow:

a) Vocational counselling of the candidate- Assistthetraineethroughorientationtowardshis/herchoiceofatradecompatiblewithhis/herabili-

tiesandwhichguaranteeshis/herchancesofprofessionalinsertionafterthetraining.- Receivethecandidate,whoexpresseshisorherinitialchoiceoftradeindividuallyandenablehim/

hertobeassistedbythecentreandhis/herparent(orguardian)inmakingthefinaldecisionregard-ingthechosentrade.

Article 3.Thefinalchoicehavingbeenmadebythecandidate,thecentregetsthetrainingcontractsigned,committingthreeparties,namely:thetrainee,hisorherparent(orguardian)andthecentre.

b) The objectives of the training

Article 4.ThecentreCAPAidentifiesandpinpointstherealneedsofthecandidateinordertosettheobjec-tivesofthetraining,inresponsetohisorherneeds.

Article 5.Thecentreindicatestothecandidatetherangeoftrainingcoursesorganisedintosectorsandshowshimorherthelearningobjectives,i.e.whatthecandidatewillachievetheoreticallyandpracticallyafterthetraining.

Article 6 Attheendoftheagreementledbythecentre,thethreepartiesassignspecificobjectivestothetraining.Theexpectedtheoreticalandpracticalresultsofthetrainingarealsospecified.

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c)About the trainingitself of the trade

Article 7.Inthelightoftheobjectivesandthedurationofthetraining,CAPApreparesthetrainingmod-ules(theoreticalandpractical)forthetrade.

Article 8.CAPAproceedstothetheoreticalandpracticaltrainingwhichgivesthecandidatethetechnicalcompetenciesrequiredforthetrade.

Article 9.Schedule,organiseandmonitorthetraineeduringhis/herinternshipsintheworkshopsofthecentreandespeciallyintheworkshopsandthepublicorprivatecompanies.

Article 10.Ensurethatthetraineebenefitsfromadditionalandtransversaltrainingforhisfutureworklifeinthetrade,suchas:peace,thepromotionofgender,thefightagainstHIV/AIDS,theprotectionoftheenvironmentandprofessionalethics.

(d) Concerning monitoring and assistance of the trainee during the training

Article 11.CAPAensuresclosemonitoringofthetrainee’ssafenessduringthetraining.- Dependingontheneedsofthetargetgroup,CAPAensuresthatcandidatesreceivepsychosocialsup-

portfortheirintegrationduringthewholetrainingprocess;- Thisassistance,whichisprovidedatthecentre,isexpandedtothefamilyofthetraineeorthehouse-

holdhostinghimorhertoensurethatthecandidateistrulyintegratedandthetrainingobjectivesareachieved.

e) Concerning monitoring and evaluation of the training and the certification of the Trainee

Article 12.Toassuretheachievementofthetrainingobjectives,CAPAorganisesmonitoringandevalua-tionofthetrainingactivitiesduringandafterthetraining.- Theachievementoftheobjectivesisprogressivelytrackedbymeansofevaluations,periodictests

andthedailymonitoringoftheperformanceofthetrainersandthetrainee;- Theorganizationofthejuriesevaluatingthetraineesattheendofthetraining,thecertificateaward

ceremoniesandCAPA’sawardingofthequalificationsagreedontothegraduatingtrainee.

f) The professional insertion of the graduating trainee:

Article 13.CAPAorganisesmeetingsandcarriesoutthepreparationworkfortheprofessionalinsertionduringthetraining.Itbeginsbymakingtheparent(orguardian)andthetraineeawareandaccountablewithregardtotheagreedexerciseoftheprofessionlearnedduringthetraining.

Article 14.Afterthetraining,CAPAmakesitscontributionandmeticulouslymonitorstheimplementa-tionoftheprofessionalinsertionbythegraduateandhisorherparent(orguardian).

Article 15.CAPA’sfollow-upandevaluationunitmonitorsandevaluatestheresults(expectedeffectsandimpacts)achievedbythecandidateinsertedprofessionallythroughasetofindicatorsdesignedforthispurpose.

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II Concerning the Trainee or Candidate:

Article 16 Thecandidateisprimarilyresponsibleforthechoiceofthetradeforhisorherprofessionalfutureandinmakingsurethatthisbusinessiscompatiblewithhisorherabilitiesandresources.Withhisorherparent(orguardian)andbeforestartingthetraining,heorsheexplainstothecentrehowheorsheintendstoearnmoneyfromthetradeandhowheorshewillpractisethetradewheninsertedintotheworldofwork.

Article 17.Heorshechoosesfromhisorherenvironmentasupervisorormentorwhoisalreadyaprofes-sionalinthechosentradeandensuresthattherewillbeongoingpracticalinternshipsduringthetrainingand,whereapplicable,looksfortechnicalandprofessionalresourcesthatwillbeusefulforhisorherinsertion.

Article 18.Togetherwithhisorherparent,guardianorsponsor,heorshesignsthetrainingcontractwiththecentreCAPA.

Article 19.Heorsheiscommittedtorespectingtotheletteralltherulesgoverningthebehaviourofthemembersofthe“CAPAcommunity”throughoutthedurationofthetraining.

Article 20.Heorsheiscommittedandagreesthatthenon-compliancewiththerulesoflifeandtrainingatCAPAexposeshimorhertosanctionsrangingfromsuspensiontotheterminationofthetrainingcontract.

Article 21.Heorshehasbeeninformedofthetrainingcoststobepaidandundertakestopaythemintheproportionsagreedwiththecentre.

III The terms of the contract:

Article 22.ThetraineeandCAPAagreethatthecandidateisenrolledfortraininginthesector……………………branch………………………foracoursewhichwilllast………………….months,from……………/…………../20…….to………………./………………./20……….

Article 23.Thetrainingcoursesareagreeduponwith………………%theoryand…………………%practice.ThedailylessontimeswillbefromMondaytoFridayof………to…………forthetheoryandfrom…………to………forpracticeintheworkshops.

Article 24.Internshipswiththirdparties(workshopsandbusinesses)willbethesubjectofspecialagreementswhichinvolvethetrainee,CAPAandthecompanyortheworkshophostingthetraineeorthesupervisor/mentoroftheintern.

Article25.Thecertificateissuedattheendofthecoursewillbe..........………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Article26.Thecostoftrainingagreedthatthetraineewillpayis………………………fortheentirecourse,with$…………..tobepaidmonthly.

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Article 27.Theservicesortheitemsprovidedormanufacturedbythetraineeduringthetrainingaresoldbythecentreandtheaddedvaluefromthemwillbesharedbetweenbothparties,50%forthecentreand50%thatthecentreallocatestotheprofessionalinsertionofthecandidate.

IV The responsibility of the parent (guardian or sponsor):

Article 28.Theparent(guardianorsponsor)accompaniesthecandidateduringthewholeprocessofen-rolment,trainingandprofessionalinsertion.Therefore,heorsheadherestothecandidate’sselectionofatrade,participatesintheagreementconcern-ingthetrainingobjectives,guaranteesthepaymentoftheagreedfeesbythetrainee,isavailablefordis-cussionwiththecentreregardingallquestionsconcerningthetraineeandsignsthetrainingcontractandthecontractforprofessionalinsertion.

Article 29.Theguardianisresponsibleforthelifeofthetraineeoutsidethecentreandpreparesthema-terialconditionsofprofessionalinsertionofthecandidatewhileheorsheisstillintraining,inordertoimplementthemattheendofthetraining.

The settlement of disputes and misunderstandings

Article 30.Thethreepartiesagreethatalldisputeswhichmightarisefromtheinterpretationortheimple-mentationofthiscontractaretobesettledamicablyandthroughtheCAPAhierarchy.SignedatCAPA,the………/……………./20……

For CAPA, the Trainee (or Candidate)The Parent (Guardian or Sponsor)

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PEDAGOGICAL STEPS OR PROCEDURES FOR VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL INSERTION

Thestepsbelowarerequired,bothbeforeandafteranysuccessfultrainingoftrades:

1 The confirmation of the market.Firstandforemost,themarketmustbestudiedorobservedinrelationtothedemandforservicesandoutputofprofessionalsinthetradesaftertheirtraining.Therealneedsofconsumersandofthecommunityaredeterminedandthetrainingisorganisedonthisbasistoensurethatthereisabusinessmarketforthegraduatesandsoasnottotrainpeoplewhobe-comeunemployedafterhavinglosttheirresources(money,timeandmaterials).Thesectoralsurveysandtheidentificationofneedscanbecarriedoutbyspecialisedentitiesorexperts.

2 Receiving the candidates and counselling them in getting trained for profitable tradesThecandidatesarereceivedaccordingtothetrainingneedstheyexpressandtheyareguidedtowardstheprofitablesectors,branchesandtrades,i.e.thoseprovidingservicesandproductsthatactuallyre-spondtoademandbytheconsumers(themarket).

3 Agreement on the objectives of the trainingTheinvolvedpartiesinthetrainingcometoanagreementastotheobjectivesandassignthemtothetraining.Itisgenerallythetraineeorcandidate,hisorherparent(sponsororguardian)andthecentrewhoimplementthisbythesigningofatripartitecontractoflearning.

4 The planning and preparation of theoretical and practical modulesPlanningofthetimeandlocationofthetrainingisdonewiththecandidatesandthetheoreticalmod-ules,practicalexercises,theproductsandservicestobecarriedoutandmanufacturedduringthetrain-ingarespecifiedandpreparedbythetrainers.

5 The training for the tradeThisisthestageinwhichthetrainingiseffectivelyimplemented.Thetheoreticallessonsandpracticalexercisesaredeliveredandcarriedoutforthepurposesofmakingcompetentcraftspeopleoutofthecandidatesinthetradeslearned.Therearetwosub-steps:a. Thecandidatesproduceservicesandproductsneededbythemarketwhiletheyarestillintraining.b. Thecandidatesdointernshipsinworkshopsandbusinessesopentothecustomersinthetraining

sector.Theseinternshipsarebothinformalandformal.Onaninformalbasis,thecandidatehasper-manentand/orregularcontactwiththepracticeofhistradeattheworkshopofhismentor,whomhehaschosenbeforethetraining.Onaformalbasis,thecandidatecarriesoutinternshipswithwell-establishedorganisations,work-shopsandcompaniesforthispurposeandfordurationsagreedwiththecentre.

6 The certification of the candidatesThisisdoneinatripartitemanner.Eachofthepartieshasitsownobligation:thestateisresponsiblefortheapprovalofqualifications,thecandidatesundergotheteststodemonstratethemasteryofthetradestheyhavelearntandtheparents/guardianshavetoassistwithprofessionalinsertion.Juriesare

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organisedatthetrainingcentrebythecentre’strainersunderthedirectionofthetechnicalexpertsofthestate.Theceremonyforthepresentationofthecertificatessignedbythecentreandthestateisthefinalcul-minationofthetraining,inthepresenceofparentsandthepublic,mainlyworkshopowners,businesspeopleandothergraduatesinvitedfortheoccasion.

7 The professional insertion of the graduates Asagreedwiththetraineewhonowisagraduate,theexerciseofthetradebecomestheconcernoftheparent(guardianorsponsor)andthecentre.Wageemploymentinabusinessand/orself-employmentarethetwowaystopractisethetrade.Thecontributionsofallpartiesaremobilisedandthestartofthegraduate’sprofessionallifeisme-ticulouslymonitored.Notethatalthoughthisisthefinalstepintheprocess,itencompassesthewholetrainingprocess.Beforethetraining,theprovisionsforinsertionofthecandidateareagreedbetweentheparties.Duringthetraining,thecandidatesareprovidedwiththekeycompetenciesrelatedtotheprofessionalinsertionandafterthetraining,theinsertiontakesplace.

8 The follow-up of the graduates for the success of the professional insertion and their further train-ingThecentrehasadutytoensurefollow-uprangingfromthestructuringtotheconsolidationandpromo-tionofthegraduates’initiativesbyofferingthemadviceandmaterials,accordingtothepossibilitiesandbyfacilitatingtheirfurthertrainingtoadapttotherequirementsofthefluctuatingmarket.Thecentregetstoknowtheshortcomingsandtheperformanceofitsgraduatesonthelabourmarket,whichenablesittoadjustandrefocusitscourses.

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Some examples of subjects for retraining and further training of craftspeople and other professional people

No Sector/Branch

Modules for re-training and fur-ther training

Target group

Number of theory hours

Number of practical hours

Qualifications awarded

1 Buildings Themaintenanceofbuildings

Thema-sons

45h 60h Confirmationofcoursecomple-tion

Theinterpretationofconstructionplansandtheorgan-isationofbuildingsites.

Thefore-men


Thecomputer-assisteddesignofconstructionplans

Thearchi-tects


Measurement Thema-sons


Finishingbuildings Thema-sonsThearchi-tectsThefore-men


Urbanplanningandpropertylaws

Thema-sonsThearchi-tectsThefore-men


2 Plumbing Theknowledgeandtheinstallationofnewplumbing

Theplumbers


Finishingthein-stallationsandthemanagementofhouseholdwater

Theplumbers


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3 Fittingandwelding

Metalandalumini-umjoinery

Thefittersandweld-ers


Theartisanalcon-structionofsmallmachinesforprocessingagricul-turalproducts

Thefittersandweld-ers


4 Domesticelectricity

Installingsolarpan-els

Theelec-tricians


Theinstallationofsolardevices

Theelec-tricians


5 Marinenavigation

Theanchoringorloadingofboats

Thecap-tainsofmotorizedcanoes


Thelegislationandmarinesafetyandsecurity

Thema-rinenavi-gators


6 Carpentryandfurni-turemaking

Finishingfurniture Thecar-penters


Machinery Thecar-penters


7 Refrigera-tion

Themaintenanceandrepairofhouse-holdappliances

Theelec-tricians


Theinstallation,maintenanceandrepairofhouseholdappliancesoperat-ingbymeansofsolarelectricity

Theelec-tricians


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8 Hotelbusi-ness

Theoptimisationofservicesinahotel

Thehotel-iers


Themanagementofarestaurant

Theres-taurateurs


Hotellegislation Thehotel-iers


9 Carandmarineme-chanics

Themaintenanceandrepairofvehi-cleswithautomaticgearboxes

Theme-chanics


Carelectricity Theme-chanics


Carelectronics Theme-chanics


Themanagementofagarage

Theme-chanics


Marineenginemaintenance

Theme-chanics


10 Computertechnology

Computermainte-nance

TheITprofes-sionals,thedatainputoperators


11 Trade Salesfundamentals Thesales-people


Theuseofthecom-puterinsales

Thesales-people


12 Dressmak-ing

Thecreationandthediversificationofthemodels

Thedress-makersandtailors


Designingjackets Thedress-makersandtailors


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A few principles of psychosocial assistance for traumatised people in training

General problem“Psychologicaltrauma”isoneoftheproblemsandobstaclesthathinderseffectivetransmissionoftech-nicalskillstotrainees.Thetraumaoftraineesisahugechallengeforthetrainerswhoareinexperiencedinassistingthesepeopleinaprofessionalway.Aswellasthis,psychosocialassistancemustbeappliedacrossallthetrainingactivities.

The general principles of this psychosocial assistance are the following:

1 Identifying trauma at the stage of enrolment Thisisthephaseofidentifyingthetraumaandprovidingassistanceinthecaseoftraumaticsyndromes,whichincludesthesub-stepsbelow:a) Observation

Thisinvolvesidentifyingthetargetgroupswhoarevictimsoftraumaandthecandidatesfortraumaintegration,beforethetrainingactivitiesstart.Thesignalsthatcouldrevealtraumamustberecog-nisedbythepsychosocialassistantsasindicators:timidity,agitation,aggressiveness,distraction,angeroranxietyanddisruptivemoodsandbehaviour.

b) ListeningOncethevictims’trusthasbeenwon,inanenvironmentofsecurity,theyareguidedtoexpresstheirfeelings,talkabouttheirexperiencesandvent,inordertogivethemsomerelease.Thecrying,theunusualrevelationsandthepsychosomaticchangesaresomeofthesignalsthattheyarebeingsuc-cessfullylistenedto.

c) DiscretionThisisamustforthepsychosocialagents,tomakethevictimsfeelsecureandmaintainaworkingclimateoftrustandempathy.

d) AvailabilityTheaidemustbeavailabletothevictimstoassistthem,listentothem,togettheirattentionandtoshowaninterestinthem.

e) ReferralThevictimswhoaresufferingfromveryacutetrauma,andwhoaredifficulttotreatwiththelimitedskillsofthecentre’spsychosocialassistants,arereferredtothespecialisedcentresandhospitalswiththecollaborationofthecentre.

2 IntegrationTohealthetraumaofmostofthevictims,thecentre’spsychosocialassistantscommencewiththetraumaintegration.Thisconsistsofrehabilitatingthevictimsintheirownfamilyunits,intheirnaturallivingenvironments(church,family,neighbourhood)andespeciallyhavingthemlearntheirchosentradewiththeothertrainees.

3 EmpowermentThisisthephaseof“materialcare”wherevictimswhohavealreadybeenaided,andhavecompletedtheirtraining,areprovidedwithsocialintegrationcapabilitiesthatbringthemintocontactwithawiderpublicthroughtheexerciseofthetradelearned.Thisstepleadstothemacceptingwhattheyhaveex-perienced,excellingandfocusingonotherobjectiveswhichfrequentlyincludesucceedinginanewareaoflife,becominggoodatthecraftbypractisingitsuccessfully,andsatisfyingcustomersand/orconsumerswithhisorherservices.

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The job description for the head of the “gender” department

Theheadofthe“gender”departmentisafull-timeemployee.Athis/herrecruitment,thispositioniscat-egorizedlikethepositionofa“master/supervisor”,accordingtoCAPA’sManualofProcedures

1 The main objective of the position:

Togiveequalopportunitiestomenandwomeninthetrainingandintheexerciseofanycraftorotherprofessionaloccupation.

2 Permanent tasks of the employee:

- Theemployeeresponsibleforgenderissuesistheintermediarybetweenthemenandthewomeninthecentreforbalanceandgoodcoexistence;

- He(she)takesthesideofbothsexesandpleadsthecauseofanyonewhoisinjuredonaccountofhisorhergenderfromrecruitmentandduringandafterthetraining;

- He(she)identifiesdailyactsandbehaviourslinkedtoculturalconstraintsthatdiminishthepersonoftheothersex,inordertodenounceandcombatthem;

- He(she)identifiestheneedintrainingforthepromotionofgenderissuesamongthemembersoftheCAPAcommunity;

- He(she)developsandproposestothemanagementtheplansandintersectionaltrainingmodulesforthepromotionofgenderissues;

- He(she)helpsthemanagementtotargetandcontactthetrainersinamannerthatincludesthewomenandthemen;

- He(she)isthetechnicalinterfaceforconsultanttrainerswithregardtogenderissues;

- He(she)designsandassistsinthedevelopmentofandtheadvocacyforgenderawarenesspromo-tionprojects;

- He(she)helpswithandsupportstheexecutionoftheactivitiesandprojectswhichcontributetothepromotionofgenderawareness;

- He(she)ensuresclosemonitoring,particularlyoftheperformanceofwomentrainingandworkinginthetradesinordertohelpthemmakeanameforthemselvesthroughprofessionalcompetitive-ness.

- He(she)assistsintheorientationandintegrationofwomeninjobsthataretraditionallyandcultur-allyheldbymen;

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- He(she)identifiesandhelpstosuppresstheanti-valuesnormallyobservedduringmale-femalecoex-istenceinthetrades:sexualharassment,stigma,threats,indecentassault,etc.;

- He(she)identifiesthebarriersthatpreventmenandwomenfromintegratingtradesandproposessolutions;

- He(she)talksontheradiotopromotegenderawarenessintrainingandtheexerciseoftrades;

- He(she)assistsintheidentificationoftrainingopportunitieswhichbroadentherangeoftradesforwomen.

- He(she)participatesinandfacilitatesthesectoralsurveysandstudiesrelatedtothetradesinaman-nerthatbenefitsmenandwomen.

- He(she)facilitatesthenetworkingofwomeninthesametradessothattheycanaddresstheirchal-lengestogether.

- Togetherwiththeinsertionunit,he(she)assuresprofessionalinsertionofthegraduates,theaccompa-nimentofandtheongoingattentiontowomeninsertedinemploymentandself-employmentinordertogainawarenessoftheirsocio-professionalintegrationproblemstohelpresolvethem.

- He(she)monitorsphysicalinfrastructuralconditionsatthecentreandanybehaviourthatcreatesintimacybetweenthemenandwomeninthecentre.

- He(she)initiatesconnectionsorlocalandexternal(south-south,north-southetc.)partnershipsbe-tweenwomenpractisingtradesforexperimentalandprofessionalgivingandtaking.

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The job description for the head of the “monitoring and evaluation” department

A The reasons for the creation of a monitoring and evaluation unit

ThestakeholdersoftheprojectsinoperationatCAPA,namelythedevelopmentpartnersanddonors,consultants,thebeneficiaries,thechurchasresponsiblestructureofthecentreandthemanagementteam,requireasmuchinformationaspossible,bothonanongoingandperiodicalbasis,sotheycanassumetheirresponsibilitieswellandespeciallysotheycanmaketherightdecisionsrelatedtotheirworkinordertoachievetheexpectedresults.Theactorsneedtobeinformedinduetimeofperformance,difficulties,andtheeffectsandtheimpactoftheprojects,andinthisorder:- Thedifficultiesintheimplementationofactivitiesareforecasted,evaluatedandcircumvented;- Thedirectbeneficiariesoftheprojectsarestronglyinvolvedintheevaluationoftheprojectsandtheir

expectationsaretakenintoaccountinareactivemanner;- Synergiesareestablishedandnecessitatedwithallthepartnersinprojectsfortheachievementofob-

jectives;- Theproductivityandperformanceofthestaffinchargeofprojectsareimprovedthroughorderlyman-

agementofalltheinformationgeneratedbytheprojects.

The job description itself:General objectiveCharttheprogressoftheactivitiesandcostsatdifferentstagesintheproject.

In technical terms, the employee will:• Activelyparticipateinsettingclearandrealisticoperationalprojectobjectivesforalltheactivitiesof

thecentre;• Checkthattheactivitiesconformtotheobjectivesmentionedabove;• Collectdataabouttheactivitiesandevaluatethemstatisticallytoexplainthemtothemanagementto

helpindecisiontaking;• Monitorandmeasurethedeviationsfromtheforecasttoidentifymajorproblems;• Proposeconcertedsolutionsfortheproblemsthusidentified;• Followthechainofresults(effectsandimpact)ofprojectsbyidentifying:

- Theservicesthattheprojectofferstothetargetgroups;- Theusemadebythetargetgroupoftheservicesthatareoffered;- Thedirectbenefitsarisingfromtheuseoftheservicesofferedbytheproject;- Theindirectbenefitsthatarisefromtherealisationofthedirectbenefits;

• Elicitthereactionofpartnersandbeneficiarieswithregardtotheresultsoftheprojects;• Disseminatethemonitoringandevaluationreportstoeverybodyinduetime;• Capitaliseontheexperiencesandachievementsofthesystem.

In accounting and financial terms:• Assistthemanagementtoensurethatprojectfundsareusedefficientlyforthepurposesintendedand

withfulltransparency.

With regard to the management display panel:Submit regularly todecision-makers, ina timelyandappropriatemanner,consolidated informationofatechnical,geographical,budgetary,financialandconsistentnature,toinfluencegoodmanagementdecisions.

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MONITORING SHEET FOR THE EVALUATION OF LESSONS / MODULES OF TRAINERS

Sector:.........................................................................................................................................................Branch:Nameoftrainer;..........................................................................................................................................Numberoftraineesregistered.....................................................................................................................Numberpresent...........................................................................................................................................Titleofthemodule...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Topicoftheday...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Time............................................................................................................................................................Operationalobjective.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

No INDICATORS MAXI-MUM

RATINGS

1 Compliancewith the projected contents of the module: Adherestothetimetable.

10 points

2. The material preparation of thelesson: Journal,prepara-tionsheets,notebookandlessonbook,availability,intro-duction,development,application.

10 points

3 Introduction of the lessonRevision,individualorcollectivereviewofthepreviouslessonandmotivation(arouseinterest,announcementofthesubject).

10 points.

4.4.1

4.2

Development of the lesson Subjecttaught:mastery,accuracy(backgroundandqual-ity,mixsought),adaptationtothelevelofthestudents,adaptationtotheprogram(knowledge,fidelity,execution).

Method:Presentation(progressivelogicalclarity,qualityofindi-vidualandcollectivequestions,accuracy);exploitationofresponses,materialset,repetition,synthesis,application.

10 points.

10 points

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5. Teaching methods:Blackboard(provision,visualaspect)presenceofmanualsandotherdocuments,didacticmaterials(choiceanduse).

10 points

6 The trainer:conduct,writing,intellectualandpedagogicqualities,language(clarity),timemanagement.

10 points

7 The trainees: Discipline,conduct,activity(performance)understandingofthesubject,assimilationofthesubject.

10 points.

8 Result of the lesson: Retentionbythetrainees,verbalreproduction,illustration,manipulation(workingroup,individualperformance),levelofsuccessinrelationtotheintendedapplication.

20 points.

Composite quantified evaluation 100 points

9 Observation (remarks):

10 Advice and recommendations:

11 Composite rating: Excellent (100-90) - Very Good (89-75) - Good (74-50) - Satisfactory (49-25) - Poor (24-0)

InacknowledgementHeadofmonitoring&evaluation

ThetrainerNameandsurnameDateandsignatureTitle:

Dateandsignature

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FOLLOW UP SHEET FOR GRADUATES (WORK VISIT)N0 _______ _______ / _______ / 20_______

1 Identification of the follow-up agent:1.1 Nameoffollow-upagent:.......................................................................................................1.2 Function:.................................................................................................................................

2 Identification of the graduate:2.1 Name........................................................................................................................................2.2 Maritalstatus:...........................................................................................................................2.3 Physicaladdress:...................................................................................................................... No.Tel:.....................................................................................................................................2.4 Tradelearned:...........................................................................................................................2.5 Yearoftraining:.......................................................................................................................

3 Regarding the training that the graduate has undergone

3.1 Whatdidyoudobeforethetraining?....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

3.2 Whatweretheobjectivesofthetraining?....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

3.3 Whatcertificatehaveyoubeenawardedbythecentre?....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

3.4 Whataretheskillsandcompetenciesthatthetrainingprovidedtoyou?- Whatservicesareyouabletoprovide?

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

- Whatproductscanyouproduce?..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

4 The practice of the trade learned:

4.1 Howhadyouintendedtopractisethetradebeforeyoustartedthetraining?..................................................................................................................................................

Howdoyoupractiseyourtradenow?......................................................................................What?......................................................................................................................................Where?....................................................................................................................................Withwhom?............................................................................................................................

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4.2 Incaseswherethetradelearnedisnotexercised:Forwhatreasons?......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

4.3 Howhasyourprofessionalinsertionbeendone?Haveyoubenefitedfromsupport?..........................................................................................

4.4 Doyougenerateanincomefrompractisingyourtrade?Self-employment?...................................................................................................................Ajob/wageemployment?......................................................................................................Forwhataveragemonthlyincome?........................................................................................

4.5 Whatservicesorproductsofgreatimportancehaveyoualreadyrenderedorprovidedtothepublic?- Services:...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................- Products:...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

5 Questions related to the market

5.1 Whatareyourservicesorproducts?

Areyouworkingonorders?....................................................................................................

Howmanyordersforwhatperiodoftime?.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................Doyoudisplayproducts?........................................................................................................Wheredoyoudisplaythem?...................................................................................................Whoareyourcustomers?..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

5.2 Isthemarketimportantforthesustainabilityofyourwork?..................................................................................................................................................

5.3 Howwelldothecustomersvalueyourservicesorproducts?....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Whatimprovementproposalsdotheyhaveforyou?...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Whatcomplaintsdotheyhaveaboutyourwork?..................................................................................................................................................

6 The impact of the trade on the life of the graduate:

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6.1 Howdidyouassessyourlifebeforethetraining?..................................................................

Housing?.................................................................................................................................Meals?.....................................................................................................................................Travel?.....................................................................................................................................Schooling?...............................................................................................................................Periodicincome?.....................................................................................................................

6.2 Whatchangesinyourlifehaspractisingyourtradeledto?

-Withregardtohousing:........................................................................................................

-Withregardtonutrition:.......................................................................................................

-Withregardtoeducationandhealthcare:............................................................................

6.3 Yoursocialstatusinthehousehold,thefamilyandyourlivingenvironment:...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

6.4 Investmentsmade.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

7 The need for training:

Arethereapprenticesinyourworkshoporfollowingyouinyouroccupation?............................................................................................................................................................

Doanyofthemrequesttraininginworkshopsorinotherservices/occupations?............................................................................................................................................................

Howmanyofthemhaveyoualreadytrained?(Ifany)............................................................................................................................................................

Whatgapshaveyouseeninthepracticeofthetradethatrequiretraining?............................................................................................................................................................

Doyouneedretraining?............................................................................................................................................................

Ifyes,inwhatareas?............................................................................................................................................................

8 What specific challenges have you seen in the practice of your trade ?........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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9 Do you have any recommendations to make to your training centre CAPA?

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Validation/acronym of monitoring agent Signature of monitored graduate

199


INTERNAL TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CENTRE CAPA, COOPEC AND THE GRADUATE CONCERNING FI-

NANCIAL SAVINGS FOR HIS OR HER PROFESSIONAL INSERTION

Betweentheundersigned:1) theCentreofVocationalandSkillsTraining“CAPA”,traininginstitutionandassistingentityfollow-

inguptheprofessionalinsertionofthegraduate,2) theSavingsandCreditCooperative“COOPECKawa”on the one hand;3) andMr,Ms______________________________________________graduateofCAPAinthesector

_________________________________,whohasfinancialdifficultieswithregardtohis/herprofes-sionalinsertion,on the other hand;

It has been agreed that:

Article 1 DuetothematerialandfinancialdifficultiesexperiencedbythegraduateMr./Mrs.,_____________________________________withregardtohis/herprofessionalinsertion,thethreeparties(CAPA,theCOOPECandthegraduate),areworkingtogethertomakeprovisionforthepro-fessionalinsertionofthegraduate.

Article 2 Thegraduate,Mr/Ms_________________________________hassubmittedtothecentreandtothecooperativehis/herbusinessplanforinsertionofwhichthetotalamountis$_____________,whichis__________________Congolesefrancs.

Article 3.Withinitspossibilities,CAPAagreestogivethegraduatewhoaccepts,contractsforprofitabletasksinitsworkshopsandconstructionsites.Inreturn,CAPAwillpaythegraduatetherateofthecor-respondinglabourforce.

Article 4.Thegraduate,Mr,Ms____________________________acceptsthat75%ofthepaymenthe/shereceivesfromCAPAwillbedeductedtopayhissavingsaccountatthecooperativeKawa.Thegradu-ateundertakesnottowithdrawfundssavedherewithouttheconsentofthecentre.

Article 5 Thefinancialcooperative,theabove-namedpartytotheagreement,agreestoguaranteesavingsandnottoallowanydisbursementbythegraduateexceptforthepurposesofhis/herprofessionalinsertionwithpriornotificationsfromthecentre.

Article 6.Thethreepartiesagreethatthedisbursementofthefundssavedinthegraduate’saccountispossibleonlywiththeprioragreementoftheprofessionalinsertionunitofthecentre.

Article 7.Thegraduateundertakestoimplementhis/herprofessionalinsertioninaccordancewithhis/herbusinessplanassoonastheamountsoughtiscreditedtohis/heraccount.

Article 8.UnderthesuretyfromCAPAandwiththepay-backmonitoredbythecooperative,itisacceptedthatthegraduatecanhaveaccesstocreditsaccordingtohis/hertransactions,businessdevelopmentandsavings.

200


Article 9 Thegraduaterecognizesthattheofferwhichismadebythecentreisameanstoachievehis/herprofessionalinsertionandnotacontractallowinghim/hertoremainatthecentreonanongoingbasis.Ifthegraduatefindsanotheropportunityforprofessionalintegrationduringtheperiodthatthisagreementisvalidfor,CAPAagreestoreleasethegraduateimmediately.

Article 10.Assoonastheprofessionalinsertionisfacilitated,CAPAwillsignapartnershipcontractwiththegraduate,specifyingthetasksandinputsofalltheparties,asisthecasewithothergraduateswhohavebeeninserted.

Article 11.Thepartiestothepresentagreementundertaketoadheretoittotheletterandagreethatanydisputewillbesettledamicably.

Thepartiestotheagreement:

The graduate The centre The savings and credit cooperative: who has to be inserted: CAPA: COOPEC Kawa:

201

AcronymsandGlossary

Acronyms and Glossary

CAPA acentreforvocationalandskillstraininginBukavu,EasternCongo (Centred’ApprentissageProfessionneletArtisanal)COOPEC SavingsandCreditCooperative (Coopératived’épargneetdecredit)CBCA BaptistChurchintheD.R.ofCongo (CommunautéBaptisteauCentredel’Afrique)COP CounselforOrientationandPolitics (Conseild’OrientationsetdesPolitiques)FAKT FAKTConsult,GermanconsultingfirmFAQ FrequentlyAskedQuestionsMORELO “mobiliser”oflocalincome (MobilisateurdesRecettesLocales)MONUSCO UnitedNationsOrganisationStabilisationMissionintheD.R.ofCongo(MONUC) ILO InternationalLabourOrganizationNGO Non-GovernmentalOrganizationUNESCO UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization

Bantu EthnicgroupsinAfricawhospeakBantulanguagesMaï-Maï RebelliousmilitiaofthattimeinEasternCongoMassai Ethnicgroupofsemi-nomadicpeopleinhabitingsouthernKenyaandnorthernTanzaniaFulani PastoralnomadicgroupPygmy EthnicgroupacrossahugeareaofcentralAfrica

Documents

9783939862383 CAPA Englisch - UNESCO-UNEVOC · 2016-06-20 · 3 MariaG.Baier-D’Orazio VitalBanywesizeMukuzaMuhini Guide for Practitioners of Vocational Training How to reform vocational