ADB to Help Timor-leste Deliver Quality Vocational Training

ADB to Help Timor-leste Deliver Quality Vocational Training

DILI, TIMOR-LESTE (19 APRIL 2013) – The Government of Timor-Leste, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Don Bosco Training Center at Comoro today marked the first steps towards upgrading an automotive skills training facility that will provide vocational qualifications and help develop a skilled workforce.

“The project will strengthen the skills of young men and women who will then be ready to support the country’s rapid development process,” said ADB’s Resident Representative Shane Rosenthal. “Women will be trained in the non-traditional areas of carpentry and construction which should boost the numbers of skilled workers in the construction industry, where demand is high.”

The Mid-Level Skills Training Project, funded by a $12 million Asian Development Fund (ADF) grant and a $1 million contribution from the Government, is supporting selected training providers like Don Bosco with upgrades to their facilities and equipment, which will in turn help improve mid-level competency-based skills training in construction and automotive trades.

The project is also supporting the Dili Institute of Technology at Baucau and the Tibar Training Center to expand the training of mid-level construction skills. The upgrading work of the training centers will be completed with the help of teachers and students from the centers as part of on-the-job training.

The Vice Prime Minister and Coordinator of Social Affairs, Fernando “La Sama” de Araújo, led the ground-breaking ceremony at Don Bosco Training Centre, with Secretariat of State Vocational Training and Employment Policy (SEPFOPE) Secretary Ilidio Ximenes da Costa.

ADB is helping the government foster new economic opportunities, reconnect communities, and reduce poverty in some of the most disadvantaged areas in Timor-Leste through a range of initiatives, including infrastructure development, microfinance assistance, support for private sector development, and building knowledge and skills.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region.

ENDS

© Scoop Media