Well it’s been an age since I
last wrote. There has been lots going on
but finding a time to write about it has been a challenge!
We are moving forward with the
employment training programmes. The
second group for the hospitality training have just finished the ‘classroom‘ part
of the course and are starting their work placements this week. We’ve had
positive feedback from the students and the tutors so far. Many of the students have been impressed with
the practical nature of the training.
They have been practising silver service, using kitchen order tickets
and have even been learning how to tie a tie!
This training should all stand them in good stead when they get to train
in a real-life situation. The hotel
school have also negotiated higher training salaries for the students with the
hotels so this should hopefully further encourage them to complete the 3 month
course.
We are also busy recruiting for the
second group to take part in the hair and beauty training and Cheryl and her
team are planning to start next Monday.
As before, they will start the training in the Asha Centre in Athidiya
but plan to move quite quickly to the training salon in Colombo. Many of the students who did the course the
first time said that they would have preferred to move earlier to the training
salon in Colombo. Of course, it is easy
to say this in hindsight and it is important not to forget that many of the
young women in the first group were very nervous about coming to Colombo
initially. However, Cheryl and her team have been
great at building positive relationships with the young women doing the course
so I am confident that they will be able to respond to the needs of the women
well and encourage them to make the move to Colombo when they are ready!
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Recruitment for these second
groups of trainees has been somewhat of a challenge and the training providers
and the local teams are considering how we can improve the recruitment process
for the future. Word about the hair and
beauty course has certainly got around to young women in the area but this has
made it harder to recruit females for the hospitality course as they tend to be
more interested in the hair and beauty course.
The hair and beauty course is a better ‘cultural fit’ for many young
women and their families as there remains a great deal of concern amongst many
families with regards to their daughters working in large hotels and their
personal safety being at risk. Of
course, with success stories of past trainees, we can attempt to break down these
barriers but this takes time. Having
said that, the one girl who is taking part in the hospitality course is
absolutely loving it and is fully supported by her family!
Whilst recruiting for the second
hair and beauty course, Sister Concepta and I came across this rather
professional bill board on the bridge at the entrance to Athidiya. Yes, one of the trainees from the first group
has set up a salon in the area. We eagerly
went to see her at her home and she advised that her business is slowly building. She has had lots of customers and employs 2
other women who also completed the course to help her when needed.
There is lots more to update you
all with including the progress with the building of the community centre in
Athidiya and increased support for those with disabilities. However, I will finish here for now and
update you with further news next week!
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