Hospitality Training for Disadvantaged Youths

Big plans for Le Tonlé students

Meet Sokuen and Kosal, two bright and ambitious students at Le Tonlé training centre. Sokuen and Kosal met at High School in Stung Treng and have known each other for more than three years now. They finished their High School last year in August.

Unfortunately, because of a lack of money, they were not able to continue their education. With only a high school diploma it is hard for the boys to find a well-paying job. While Sokuen worked as a news reporter, Kosal stayed at home and helped his parents on the farm.

However, one day, one teacher who had taught Kosal at primary school informed him about Le Tonlé training centre in Kratie province. For Kosal this meant an opportunity to continue learning, gain experience in hospitality and find a good job. He called his friend, Sokuen, and asked him if he was also interested. He was, and the two of them started their studies at Le Tonlé, in May this year.

So far, they are enjoying their studies, and they are making friends with the other students. When asked, what they like most about the hospitality training, they both immediately answered “English”. Indeed, Kosal’s dream is to have his own school and learn Khmer and English to poor children, “But”, he added, “I think I will first go to Mondolkiri to work in hospitality, to earn some money there, and to send some money to my family”. “I think Mondolkiri is a nice place to work, because there are many guesthouses and tourists there.” “But eventually, I want to learn English to children, especially to those whose parents cannot afford to send them to school”.
The two boys finished their High School, but some classmates only finished up to grade 6 of 7, Kosal said. “So, you know, not all of the students know how to speak English very well”. And of course, if you want to work in tourism, you need to know English, especially if you want to run your own business and cater for foreign visitors. This is Sokoeun’s plan. He wants to start his own hotel/restaurant and wants to share his knowledge and skills to other Khmer people, so they too, can eventually run their own business. “But there is one big challenge”, Sokuen said, “I have to find some money first to start the business.”. “I hope I can build a partnership and get some funds from a donor, like Swisscontact for Le Tonlé.”

The boys have big, noble plans. If they will succeed in fulfilling their dreams is, of course, a matter of speculation, but one thing is for sure, with their bright minds, high motivation, positive outlook on life and their skills gained at Le Tonlé, they should have a bright future ahead of them.

To know more about the Le Tonlé training centre and its students feel free to contact us. And if you want to stay updated about Sokuen’s, Kosal’s and the other student’s progress, subscribe to our newsletter. And of course, your financial support for the training centre is highly appreciated!

Links:

• Visit our website
• Visit our facebook

This year, CRDT has benefited from the support of Swiss Contact as part of the Skills Development Program (SDP). The program has aided in our goals to provide Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and life skills to disadvantaged youths from Rural Cambodia.

Twenty students have so far graduated from Le Tonlé this year from Kratie and Stung Treng provinces, including nine women and one individual from the Bunong indigenous community. These students were able to learn a variety of skills, such as Basic English, Administration, Computer Literacy, Hygiene, Food Preparation, Front office, and CV Development. They were furthermore able to practice what they have learned at the Le Tonlé restaurant and guesthouse, a unique feature of our vocational enterprise.               

Recruitment process for selecting new trainees to study hospitality     

Le Tonle tourism training center is recruiting 60 disadvantaged youth in the provinces of Kratie and Stung Treng to participate in a three-month hospitality vocational training. To be able to recruit potential students, Le Tonle team has conducted seven community awareness workshops through-out the two provinces.So far there have been 20 applicants who applied for the programme. The training is planned to start in April after Khmer New Year.

The training programme covers two occupations in Food and Beverage service (F&B) and Housekeeping division of about that comply with the Cambodia and ASEAN Qualification Reference Standards. Moreover, soft skill and employment skill training will also be provided for students to become job-ready. While on training, students will be provided with accommodation, health care and monthly stipend. At the end of the course, Le Tonle will also provide career consultation for students so that they can make a wise decision for their future job in the hospitality industry.

Not only having the full time training to be provided for new students, Le Tonle also provides in-house training in order promote personal and professional development of our staff members. Currently, two staff from the kitchen department have been promoted as restaurant supervisors as they are enthusiastic to learn more about food and beverage operation both in the kitchen and the restaurant and bar. Both of them have to rotate to work in these two departments within two week each to learn new skills preparing them for a restaurant manager in the future. With the new job description and the coaching programme provided by managerial staff members, both of them have progressed remarkably.

Your donations will help us to continue the Le Tonlé training centre and directly impact youths in rural Cambodia by offering them real, employable skills and the chance for income generation. Your contributions will have a significant positive impact on the lives of these individuals and their communities!

Links:

• Visit our website
• Visit our facebook