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Solomon Islands: Supporting Vocational Training Centres
Since 2001, Union Aid Abroad has been working to help the young people in Solomon Islands through vocational training.
Over the past two decades, youth in the Solomon Islands were increasingly marginalised by lack of employment and education opportunities The 2000-03 civil war ('Ethnic Tension') involved long-standing grievances of indigenous Guadalcanal people about land acquisition and occupation by outsiders, particularly Malaitans, in Guadalcanal and around Honiara. All parts of the country were affected by the impact of the political and economical disintegration. Destruction of property, closure of large and small-scale business, widespread loss of jobs and income extensively damaged the economy, plus loss of revenues required for provision of government services. For three years, the national government was effectively held to ransom by corrupt leaders and armed forces. The Australian Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) restored law and order in July 2003 but the road to economic and social recovery will take years.
Since 2001, Union Aid Abroad has been working to help the young people in Solomon Islands through vocational training. From 2001-03, we helped support Rural Training Centres through an AusAID funded project in 2001-03 in conjunction with the Solomon Islands Association of Rural Training Centres (SIARTC). Project outputs included: intake of youth at training centres increased by 68%; 53 courses were conducted by RTCs, CBTCs, NGO and community groups (covering leadership and youth issues, peace and reconciliation, business and vocational topics, health and sanitation, forestry and media); trauma counselling for students, conflict resolution, peace and leadership training; and developing four youth leadership training modules. A tracer study of RTC graduates and a rapid needs assessment of community based centres were also conducted that provided evidence of the outcomes, strengths and weaknesses of training centres.
A follow up project to support a wider range of non-formal vocational training through Community Based Training Centres began in July 2004. The Community Capacity and Sustainability Project, funded by an AusAID Cooperative Agreement, provides training and small grants for capacity building of over 30 new and existing centres, which run short training courses on vocational skills and leadership for young people and adults. The project is assisting SIARTC to improve its advocacy, administration and leadership of training centres throughout the country.
Union Aid Abroad also provides Quality Tools for individual training centres through its NGO funding mechanism. Centres that have been assisted include:
- Batuna Vocational Training Centre (Western)
- Garanga Rural Training Centre (Isabel)
- Kaotave Rural Training (Guadalcanal)
- Kurakinini Community Based Training Centre (Malaita)
- Nawote Rural Training Centre (Makira)
- Resource Management Trust (Honiara)
- Suasama Farmers' School, (Western)
- SHEPI Community Based Training Centre (Malaita)
- St Dominic's Training Centre (Western)
- St Mark's Training Centre (Malaita)
- Vatu Rural Training Centre (Guadalcanal)
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