Provide Skills for Indonesian Unemployed Youth

Dear friends,

Through this report, we would like to introduce you to our Vocational Training Centre (VTC), located in Bukit Batu, Central Kalimantan.  The center was established in 2010 and its mission is similar to the one in Cipanas, which is to provide job readiness and soft skills for the youth, through after-school courses in English and Computer skills. Each course runs for 3 months and has various levels of expertise. The students are also provided with Job Seeking Skills and Financial Literacy workshops after completing their courses. Most of the participants of these courses are active high school students. 

Besides English and Computer skills, the VTC in Kalimantan also offers a 12-months Diploma program in Hospitality and Tourism. This program was designed to meet the growing demand in the tourism sector, and the lack of education institutions teaching the necessary skills for the local youth. The tourism sector in Central Kalimantan has grown tremendously these past few years, with an increased number of hotels, guest houses and tourism attractions in the area. The participants of this program are mostly high school graduates. 

Every year, around 250 to 400 students from various schools in the sub-district follow the three types of courses. As most people living in Bukit Batu struggle to find formal employment, we hope that by providing these skills, the youth will have a better chance at finding decent and stable jobs in the future.

Let’s hear what AH (Grade 11) said about his experience learning English at our VTC: “I enjoy my learning sessions at YUM.  I learn many new vocabulary words and pronounce them correctly. I feel more confident in speaking English now, and am grateful that I have new skills that can be useful in seeking a job in the future.”

And here is another testimonial from LA, a high school graduate, who enrolled in the computer class:

“Prior to this, I was working as a housekeeper, but then I got an offer to work in a company which required me to be able to operate a computer. Therefore, I enrolled in this course. It dawned on me that if I had had the ability to operate computers, I might already have a better job. At YUM, the computer lessons provided are related to the work environment. For example, I learned how to use Excel to work on administrative tasks.”

We look forward to continuing supporting the youth in both West Java and Central Kalimantan so that they are able to learn the skills they need to find decent employment. Your donations are making all of this possible. Please consider transforming your one time donation into monthly giving, which would provide us with a more sustainable source of funds that we can use to plan our programs, create budgets, and expand our services. Thank you once again for your support and generosity!

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same."- Coco Chanel

Last March, our sewing class students had the chance to learn about “re-work in fashion” with students and lecturers of the ISWI Fashion Academy. The team consisted of 14 students and 4 lecturers. “Re-work in fashion” means to modify ready-to-wear clothing in order to change the look of the product, by adding or reducing some parts of the clothing. The workshop ran for 2 days and was held in YUM’s facilities in Cipanas, West Java. 

Participants consisted of 33 active students and 2 tutors of YUM’s Sewing class. On the first day, they learned about the concept of re-work and its examples. Then, they were divided into 8 groups, each group led by an ISWI student. They were assigned to use the concept of re-work, using cloths, fabric, ribbon, beads, and other accessories, in order to create new clothing. They had to finish their creation before 10 am the next day because their creation would be shown in a simple fashion show, and there would be a reward for the Best Re-work Clothing. So the competition began!

On the second day, 8 amazing re-work clothes designed and sewn by our students were ready to be shown in the fashion show.  The judges were from YUM’s management team and ISWI lecturers. The winner was Group 8, with their extraordinary jacket.  Our students as well as the ISWI team had great times during the workshop.

Your continuous support not only enables skills training for disadvantaged youth to take place in West Java and Central Kalimantan, but also creates opportunities like these additional workshops possible for our students. 

Enjoy the pictures attached!

“A crucial part of learning a language is being able to recognize, understand and reproduce sounds. For many language learners, concentrating on these first two aspects, as well as vocabulary and grammar, takes priority. However, this can result in a reluctance to practice speaking, which can delay your progress.” *

(https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/how-to-learn-a-language)

Dear friends,

Happy New Year 2023! We wish you much joy and blessings to you and your loved ones. 

Our English class students at the VTC always look forward to the opportunity to practice their English with others besides their classmates and the tutor. Before the pandemic, we often had foreign visitors, volunteers, and students who visited us for the day, joined in the classes and helped the students to practice their English.

Finally, a couple of months ago, high school students from Sekolah Global Indo-Asia (SGIA) in Batam visited YUM for their community service activity. These students were the same age as our VTC students, so it did not take much time for them to get along with each other.  There were 34 SGIA students and 24 VTC English class students. The participants were divided into 3 groups; each consisted of students from both sides.  In the first session, there was a list of questions that everyone had to answer such as their name, where they come from, school, hobby, and family. Then in the second session, the students had the freedom to ask any types of questions. Mr. Cecep, our English tutor, was there to supervise all of the activities.

“Speaking with the students from SGIA gives me more motivation to learn English. There were many things that I would like to ask, but it was limited with the words that I know.” SN, English Intermediate class student

“I am excited and nervous to meet the students from the international school. I feel not confident enough to speak English. But it turned out to be extremely fun! I learned many new words and how to pronounce them correctly. They were so friendly and kind.  The sessions with these students motivate me to learn more and make me more confident in speaking English.” FG, English Basic class student

Our students were very happy to have an opportunity to practice their English. They became more creative in using words and more confident in speaking. As for the SGIA students, we hope they had an unforgettable cultural experience with our students. 

Thank you for your continued generous support to ensure young people have the necessary skills for employment!

NOTE: Some of you might have heard the news that last November, an earthquake hit our working area of Cipanas, West Java. Many people suffered huge losses and many have lost their homes. Some of our projects had to momentarily stop, and we focused on providing as much support as possible to those families affected by the earthquake, many of whom were our own staff and neighbors. Thanks to donations from all over the world, we have already been able to provide relief to over 1,800 families and will continue to do so in the next months to come. If you are interested to read more about our earthquake relief efforts, find us on social media: @yayasanusahamulia

At YUM’s Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in Cipanas, we not only provide various courses to support job readiness but we also organise workshops, such as Job Seeking Skills, Financial Literacy, and Public Speaking. This term, we welcomed special guest speakers for the Job Seeking Skills workshop. Our guest speakers came from the law firm Widyawan and partners, who are associated with Linklaters, YUM’s donors for the past 10 years. The session was attended by 27 participants who were either our VTC students or part of our student sponsorship program.

The presentation focused on explaining to the youth that preparing for a job search is as important as preparing their CV. Before writing their CV, it’s crucial for them to do research on the job and the company they are applying to. A session of how to write a CV and prepare for the job interview was also part of the presentation. The participants enjoyed the video about how to do the interview correctly. They learned about what to do and what not to do during the interview. At the end of the session, one of the participants played the role as interviewee while the speaker played the role as the interviewer. It was a fun and informative session for everyone. 

“It is easy to understand the materials given by the speakers. This is the first time for me attending the workshop which prepares us to be ready for employment. In the future, I want to be a banker. From this workshop, I know how to make a good resume and be more ready for the interview. ” IK, student. 

“The workshop is fun and full of new information. My friend and I never had this kind of information before. We are grateful to have all of the knowledge directly from the expert.  Right now, I am in my first semester at Hospitality school. At YUM’s VTC, I enrolled in an English course at the Basic level. What I have learned today will definitely be useful for my future. “  FA, student. 

In other news: YUM’s 2021 Annual Report has been published! Find out more about all our activities by going to YUM 2021 Annual Report

The World Bank estimated in 2020 that 91,000 children in Indonesia would drop out of school - including a 0.15 percentage point increase in secondary school dropouts. This increase in dropout rates would eventually lead to an increase in youth unemployment and ultimately the perpetuation of poverty in rural areas of Indonesia.Low levels of education and a lack of adequate skills are the main contributing factors to the high unemployment rate. The Vocational Training Centre (VTC) we run in Cipanas, West Java, not only provides various job readiness skills, but also different workshops, such as our Job Seeking Skills Workshop.

Last month, for the first time since the pandemic, we ran the Job Seeking Skill workshop with the help of Mr. I Kadek Darmayuda, who is the Housekeeping Manager at one of the hotels in the area. He started the workshop by explaining how to make a persuasive application letter and curriculum vitae, then he continued by sharing about what a company wants from a potential candidate. He ended the sessions by sharing tips on how to be successful in an interview. In between the sessions, he sometimes asks the student simple questions that would lead to a discussion. There were 46 participants attending this workshop, and they are all active students of our English, Sewing and Computer classes. 

“My latest education is junior high school. I did not continue to high school because my parents could not afford the tuition fees. Right now, I am enrolled in the Sewing class. Mr Kadek has given me so much precious information about job applications. He delivered the material in an easy way to understand. “ Lutfiah, 18 years old

“I am a student of Computer class, my tutor is Mr. Deden. I am glad that now I have more information about how to apply for a job in the future. I hope for more workshops like this in the future.” Jeris, 18 years old, 12th grader.

We wish to run more workshops for these students, in addition to the job readiness skills offered at the VTC. The pandemic is predicted to worsen the labor market especially for Indonesia’s young candidates. For these reasons, we believe that providing job readiness training and soft skills for youth would give the required support for them in their path to becoming productive adults.