In order to assist the Ministry of Education in finding work experience for Afghani students, UNOPS teamed up with two Kabul vocational schools to provide on-site job training at the USAID funded construction site of the Sarder e-Kabuli Girls High School. USAID is funding the rehabilitation and construction of the Sarder e-Kabuli girls high school and the Ghazi boys high school with UNOPS as implementing partner.
One of the major obstacles to finding employment for this year's graduating assistant engineers is the lack of hands-on experience. Despite the increase in construction activities across Afghanistan and the need for assistant engineers, students face demands for previous experience when they seek jobs. Yet, gaining experience is difficult, especially as on-site training has not previously been part of the curriculum.
In total, UNOPS provided on-site training to 350 students from the Afghan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI) and 150 students from the Sanai Afghan School studying to become assistant engineers. Out of these, 100 were trained in batches of 10-15 students for an additional 2-3 weeks in surveying, construction management, construction safety, quality control, and structural design supervised by their teachers.
According to Mr. Rohullah s/o Mohammad Ismail, studying at the ATVI, "now, many people work with engineering without proper training and we are now better than them".
The training is especially important for the 15 women enrolled in the program as vocational training for females is still hampered by the lack of access to on-site experience and the acceptance of women in construction. The on-site training at the Sarder e-Kabuli construction site allowed them to follow closely the construction process and interact with UNOPS engineers.
"It’s very difficult for girls to gain experience, so this training is very valuable to us", said Ms. Laila d/o Abd-Ull-Matin, also from the ATVI.
"The objective of the Kabul Schools Program and the rehabilitation of the two schools is to provide as many students as possible with a safe environment conducive to their learning needs. UNOPS is very pleased that the construction site itself could create an environment to enhance students' learning possibilities and we will definitely do it again", said Bruce McCarron, Country Director of UNOPS.