The Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Gudrun Kopp, has awarded the winners of the BMZ innovation competition for vocational education and training projects in developing countries.
"Worldwide, the German vocational education and training system is in high demand. However, it cannot be simply transferred to other countries. We therefore need innovative concepts for vocational education and training in developing countries. The successful projects in our BMZ competition have a model character", said Gudrun Kopp.
The award winners are:
Börlind GmbH // Häuser der Hoffnung e.V.
In a holistic educational approach, women in the small village of Siokoro in Mali can receive continuing education and learn to make basic ingredients derived from shea nut products for use in the cosmetics industry. With its commitment, the German family business supports the women in Siokoro in finding a way out of poverty and towards providing a future for themselves and their children.
CVJM Rödinghausen e.V. (a YMCA association)
The project in Sierra Leone has been running for 25 years and from the start has been managed and administrated by the people on site. The commitment of individual people in both Germany and Sierra Leone has made it possible that this project has become an important and protected location for shaping the future of young women and men even in the difficult times of civil war.
Grohe AG // Don Bosco Mondo e.V.
Knowing that education is the key to a better future, poor young people from Mumbai train to become plumbers. After completion of their vocational training, the young plumbers are not bound to continue working for Grohe AG, but can freely choose their future employment. With this training, they have the best opportunities in the employment market, for plumbers are eagerly sought after in India.
Project-E Germany e.V.
Using modern media, European students have launched a project to train young orphans and penniless women in Ethiopia for employment in a modern occupation: office assistant. In August 2012, the Ethiopian State Education Office elevated the corresponding vocational school to the rank of official model school.
Save the Children Deutschland e.V. // s.Oliver
This project provides practice-oriented training for former street children and subsequently helps them to obtain permanent employment contracts with suppliers for s.Oliver. The young people are not only trained for their future occupation, but also learn about their rights as employees and how to fight for these.
Strato AG
Young people in Mozambique are given the opportunity of attending a well-founded IT vocational training course. This project has been made possible by the unique commitment of apprentices at Strato AG in Berlin: it is a project by young apprentices in Germany for young people in Mozambique.
The award ceremony for the innovation competition took place in Berlin. In front of a select list of guests from industry and the public sphere, Gudrun Kopp and the members of the jury congratulated the German representatives of the winning projects.
"Competent and qualified young people and adults provide the best contribution to safeguarding employment and economic development. This way, people not only ensure their livelihood, but also develop their personality, design their own life and demand participation in society", Gudrun Kopp highlighted the relevance of vocational education and training for economic and social development processes.
Two contributors each from the co-operation countries of the winning projects will be invited to Germany for a ten-day study tour. They will visit institutions specific to their respective field of occupation and industry and will be given insights into the German world of vocational education and training and working environment. Subsequently, during a workshop of several days in Berlin, they will be given the opportunity to exchange experiences and learn with and from each other.