Provide Skills for Indonesian Unemployed Youth

Happy New Year 2013!!! May the spirit of the New Year bless us all to do the best that we can do.

The YUM Vocational Training Centre (VTC) proudly announces that the Second Term (from September until December 2012) has ended.

Starting on September 10^th 2012, the VTC Second Term welcomed around 316 students in 5 types of classes including English Classes, Computer Classes, Sewing Classes, Job Seeking Classes and Hospitality Class. This second term has been provided 20 classes with an average 10 to 20 students per class. Learning from the implementation of the VTC’s first term, in the second term, we had a chance to perfect the previous system in order to create a better impact and result for 3 months.

During this 3 months period, implementation of the Second Term VTC was divided into 3 steps: preparation, implementation and evaluation or final test. The preparation was held to prepare the system, the tutors, the schedule, and the registration process. With help from the United World College South East Asia (UWCSEA), the Priscilla Hall Memorial Fund (PHMF) and also donors through GlobalGiving, we were able to reach more disadvantaged youths and open a new hospitality class.  

After the preparation was set, in order to attain commitment from the participants, we gave orientation to all participants explaining the rules and regulations.  We are very happy with the implementation of the second term as we managed to enforce the regulations and build better understanding with the participants; those who were not responsible were reminded of these rules and regulations.  Those who passed the final test and met 70% of the attendance would get a certificate and their deposit would be 100% refundable. If the percentage of the attendance is less than 70%, then the deposit will be only 50% refunded and the participants will not receive a certificate.

As a result, from a total of 316 participants enrolled at the time of registration,  at the end of the session only 250 participants were allowed to follow the final test due to their absence on 3 consecutive days without any notice. In the end, after all the curriculums were taught, the final test was held. The final test was divided into two types; theory and practice, to ensure that the students understood both the theory and the practice, which they would have to face when they work. Conducted in early December, this final test determined the students' graduation.

From 250 students who followed the final test, about 228 students or 91.20 % of students were eligible to receive a certificate while the rest of students who failed to meet 70% attendance were only given information on their test result. What a great improvement from the first term before!

Therefore, based on these successes, as well as the spirit and hopes of the New Year 2013, we hope that we can provide better training through the VTC. Currently, we are preparing for the Third Term of the VTC for around 200 students and we will start on January 7^th, 2012.

Also, as a reminder for donations option, GlobalGiving provides Monthly Recurring Donation Option for your convenience if you want to donate regularly every month. This monthly recurring donations will really help us to plan VTC programs, create budgets, and expand services.

Hopefully with the support from all of you, we can always continue to help disadvantaged youths around the Cipanas YUM Village to enhance their soft skills and help them to find a job and decrease the unemployment rate in the area. Thank you!

The first term of the PHMF funded Vocational Training Center (VTC) has finally ended and we are proud to announce that around 70.5% or 146 students out of 207 students who followed the test were able to get the certificate!

These students are ones who passed the final exam and had more than 70 % attendance. This percentage is actually less than the total participants who passed the exam, however some of them are not entitled to receive a certificate due to their absenteeism. We applied this system in order to educate students to be committed and disciplined.

Moreover, we also conducted a questionnaire distribution to analyze the satisfaction of students and tutors about VTC’s services to know whether our services was good or not and how to improve the VTC’s services.

Based on the questionnaire given, we can summarize that both tutors and students feel satisfied with VTC and hope that it can be sustainable to help more destitute people in Cipanas. What they enjoyed the most were the tutors, the lessons given and the facilities provided during the training. Teaching with a fun atmosphere made the students love to learn and hoped that this class was not just for the short term. They even hoped that the VTC could open more classes with innovative teaching methods to become more modern and fun so it would not be boring.

Their dreams came true. In June, we received confirmation that the United World College South East Asia (UWCSEA), based in Singapore, agreed to support the VTC for 3 months and not long after, the Priscilla Hall Memorial Fund (PHMF) said they would continue to support the VTC. Also, last but not least, donors through GlobalGiving kept coming to help us realize this opportunity. With this support, we were able to open more classes than we had intended to. So, we divided the classes into beginner classes and advanced classes to accommodate
the aspirations of the new students and senior students who wish to continue their studies to a higher level.

In total, we were able to have 20 classes with 316 students!!! That is amazing! We have 2 classes of Sewing Classes to make clothes, 2 classes of Sewing Classes to make crafts, 1 Job Seeking Skills Classes, 7 English Classes, 7 Computer Classes and 1 Hospitality Class. This is an amazing effort to accommodate the community needs for informal education to help poor youths in Cipanas in finding a job to decrease unemployment.

At the same time as this was happening, we thought to revise the system of our services at the VTC and simplify the tasks of the tutors, administrators and staffs without diminishing the quality of their work and even to enable them to upgrade their work result. A new administrator was hired to handle all of the administration system such as registration, schedule, absenteeism, cash deposit, certificate and also the promotion of the VTC to communities around YUM.  Some new tutors were also hired to accommodate all the classes like a Hospitality tutor, a Job Seeking Skills tutor, and also a Computer tutor. Hopefully all these new systems can maximize the VTC’s services and our purpose to decrease unemployment can be reached. 

We know that all of this achievement cannot be implemented without the support and donations from our generous donors. To add more good news, GlobalGiving announced that they are offering a 30% match on all donations up to $1,000 per donor per project at 12:01 am EDT (or 11:00am Indonesia time) on October 17, 2012 in BONUS DAY. There is $50,000 in matching funds to distribute amongst projects up on GlobalGiving. The organization that raises the most funds on Bonus Day will receive an additional $1,000 from GlobalGiving.

YUM would like to make the most of this amazing opportunity, and we can’t do it without your help. This BONUS DAY will only happen on October 17^th, so if you are to help, please share this message to your friends and family. Please let them know to wait until October 17th before making their donations.

Tank you very much for all your help and for being a part of our success through VTC in helping poor youths in Cipanas. Hopefully, God will bless you with lots of happiness and fortune.

Thank you!