VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN EAST TIMOR (TIMOR-LESTE)

Vocational training is a high priority goal for the people of East Timor (Timor-Leste), the poorest country in Asia. With the median age of its citizens sitting at just 21 years of age, for East Timor to gain stability and economic growth, it must look to rebuilding through its youth and its infrastructure.

Vocational education programs will lead to employment opportunities for many people, and a trust has been established to support this need. The aim of the Xanana Vocational Education Trust is to help the young people of East Timor acquire the basic skills necessary to work productively. The Trust wishes to do this within the framework of helping the Timorese build a self sustaining vocational education system which meets the needs of all the people.

Guiding Principles 

The first guiding principle of the Trust is to achieve integrated outcomes for individuals by combining vocational education with access to productive employment. This means not only providing funding for the acquisition of vocational skills but also offer other forms of post training support. These forms of assistance can include help with marketing, lifting product quality and offering access to low cost credit to help individuals to achieve productive employment.

The second guiding principle is to ensure that the outcomes achieved are sustained over time. This means having in place feedback mechanisms to make sure that the assistance is continuing to provide a sustainable livelihood for the recipients and their families.

A third guiding principle is to work cooperatively with the Government of East Timor to ensure that the Trust’s activities fit closely with the Government’s National Plan for the allocation of scarce resources. We are also concerned that the Trust’s activities do not impose a future burden on limited government finances by requiring ongoing funding from the Government’s budget. Another concern is to ensure that the Trust’s activities in Timor Leste are closely coordinated with government and Non Government Organisation (NGO) initiatives in this area.

A fourth guiding principle is to involve as much as possible the East Timorese individuals who are providing and receiving the assistance in working out ways to improve the help provided to ensure better outcomes are achieved. This applies to students, teachers, administrators and employers as well as those who have completed their training.

A fifth guiding principle is a commitment by the Trust to operating with openness. This will be achieved by the establishing systems that are best practice in terms of financial accountability and tracking outcomes. In this regard, the Trust company’s legal basis has been modelled on best practice, drawing on the help of the best legal available. Use of internet-based communications for open reporting is another way the Trust will seek to provide better forms of transparent accountability.

A sixth guiding principle is to seek the most cost effective outcomes. This refers to aiming for high returns for the funds expended as much as keeping overhead expenses as low as practicable. Where possible, the services required to establish and run the Trust in Australia will be provided by the use of voluntary and pro-bono professional services as part of this commitment to keep the cost of overhead expenses low.

A seventh guiding principle is to monitor the outputs and outcomes achieved to evaluate effectiveness.

An eighth guiding principle is for the Trust to develop its activities in an incremental way by building on demonstrated successes and by using established relationships in East Timor and abroad. In this way, the trust can enhance its expertise and work through its relationships to overcome hurdles, work collaboratively to solve problems and expand its activities in a way that makes success the most likely outcome.

A ninth guiding principle is that the Trust will periodically review its activities.

Several Rotary clubs support the Trust. For more information follow this link

 http://www.xananatrust.org

Following is a link to a United Nations Population Fund publication by Dr Richard Curtain. It focuses on efforts to reduce poverty and presents seven arguments for why national public policy makers in developing countries should give more attention to young people, if these efforts are to be successful. This paper offers a conceptual framework to work out what arguments and supporting evidence in relation to young people are likely to be most appropriate to apply in the context of developing or refining a national poverty reduction strategy for a developing country.

http://www.xananatrust.org/uploads/downloads/pdfs/InvestingInYoungPeople.pdf