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!