BSF's Vocational Training Program
At BSF, we believe that everybody is good at something and has unique abilities. Since 2016, we have been providing vocational training to those who are not doing well in school but are keen to take a successful career path.
Children are usually forced to stick to the same standard academic curriculum, despite their varying interests. This system often doesn’t work for children with unique abilities, and many get discouraged and consequently drop out of school and cannot move forward with a good job. Instead, if those children are encouraged to choose a career that they really like based on their inclinations and aptitude, then they will give their best and come out with flying colors.
We choose our candidates carefully. First, when we notice that a child is not doing well at school, we try to find out the reasons behind it. We support the child to overcome any difficulties that can be solved. If the child is not able to perform better at academically, then we move towards the next step. A psychosocial counseling session followed by career counseling will help us and the child to figure out if he or she is better suited for vocational training. We also try to deliberate on the kind of career or profession would be suitable for him/her.
Vocational training equips our students with practical experiences and technical skills that they need in their chosen career path. Trainings that we provide range from community services, to security guard training, to culinary arts and barista training. Depending on career area, courses take anywhere from 2 weeks to 18 months to complete. So far 12 students have graduated from our Vocational Training program, and at the moment, we have 5 students undertaking the training.
To share a few success stories, Pradip Shrestha, who graduated from our program in 2018, was able to land a job at a reputed hotel in the Maldives after completing a vocational training program in culinary arts. Similarly, another former student, Ishwori Kulu, has been able to make good connections with government as well non-government organizations after completing a course in social mobilization. Ishwori has volunteered plenty, and she is doing well in the career that she is passionate about.
We are proud of our work and especially our students who have done so well in vocational education, and hence, we intend to continue to looking at vocational education as a viable field of learning and seeking a career for some of our students.
— Aleesh Baniya, BSF program coordinator
