Brief Progress Report: Business Training and Incubation: Leatherwork and Ornament-making for Local and International Trade

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1 Brief Progress Report: Business Training and Incubation: Leatherwork and Ornament-making for Local and International Trade Submitted to: Submitted by: Friends Circle - Netherlands Assistant Director - Programme 0 P age

2 1.0 Introduction The leatherwork and ornament making class was started mid May 2013 with 18 trainees enrolled. The trainees were introduced to the basic elements of Art and Design. The course was designed to equip the learners with skills in ornament work, drawing and design and leather work. The products made by the trainees would be sold to the local market and later to the International market. The project is intended to contribute towards the achievement of the millennium Development Goals on Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and Combat HIV /AIDS malaria and other diseases. The training has been going on well with the trainees being admitted in batches since they have to learn skills in making various items. USK has successfully managed to recruit 2 instructors; one is a successful business person to train the trainees in leatherwork. The Instructor has a long experience having managed his business for over 15 years in the neighboring market known as Kariobangi in Dandora a few Kilometers from Mathare School. 1.2 The Objectives of the course are as follows 1. To provide effective vocational and technical skills training to 105 youths aged years by the end of To equip 2 classrooms with relevant equipment required train 105 youths to produce quality leather and gift ornaments for the International and Local market; 3. To facilitate strategic linkages with various stakeholders to provide the trained youths with opportunities for employment and business development. 1.3 Progress and Achievements to date. The first batch of applicants were recruited and started by going through elements of Art and Design to enable them learns how to design various items. USK recruited had the opportunity to recruit a graduate graphic design instructor as a volunteer who was able to train the trainees and introduce them to basic principles of designing items before production. The trainees were also taken through knowledge of mixing colors and paint work. The materials used were mainly sourced from local markets. The first batch of trainees has managed to successfully acquire relevant skills in designing and production items made from leather. They have managed to make footballs, sandals, and beaded leather sandals and shoes. The training in these three items took approximately three months. Currently the instructor has attached them in the market where they able to get piece meal work from other business people to produce items sold in the local market. Plans are underway to support them to polish their skills towards making items that can now be marketed through the Undugu fair trade shop. 1 P age

3 Progress on planned activities is as follows: ACTIVITY PROGRESS UPTO SEPTEMBER 2013 Conduct household survey/street work to identify 1105 youths for support within Mathare business incubation centre and identification and interviewing of beneficiaries Hold one-day session on course selection. The one day workshop will introduce the selected trainees to the available trades and gauge their attitudes. The session will also be used to sensitize them on their roles and responsibilities during training. Preparation of course guideline materials. The training guideline will be developed in partnership with Undugu Fair Trade Shop. The Undugu business development officer and the selected instructors will take the lead in developing an effective training manual. The identification of the trainees is an ongoing process with the teachers, social workers and parents with learners in USK Mathare school referring trainees to the centre. The trainees referred to the centre are assessed and viited to evaluate their home situation before being accepted for training. This is important because it enables the staff to document their family background to understand how they are treated during training. From the beginning f the training in project in March, a total of 64 youths have been assessed and evaluated with the first batch of 18 almost completing their training at the end of this month. Another 20 trainees have enrolled and are currently being taken through the basics of designing and art work before they graduate into production of items. Since March, the training officer has cinducted over 3 trade choosing workshops. During the one day sessions trainees are introduced to the various aspcts of the course and given the opportunity to make their minds if they want to join the training. Over the last threes sessions someof the trainees opted to take other courses such as Mechanics instead of Leatherwork and Ornaments making. The ones that show interest in Leatherwork and ornament making training are therafter placed in batches of 20 to train within the USK mathare School. Apart from the training, Trainees admitted fo Leatherwork are also provded with Lunch a long side other learners enrolled in in the schools o acquire basic lieracy and numeracy skills. The Undugu training officer has developed the training manuals in partnership with the Undugu fair trade shop. The training manual is prepared to cover more practical lessons because majority of trainees admitted for training do not have higher levels of education. The training manual focuses mostly on practical lessons and productions. Entrepreneurship and business training is also integrated in the training manual to equip the trainees with basic business skills. 2 P age

4 Purchasing the training materials and tools. The instructors will be responsible for identification of relevant training materials. The procurement of the materials and equipment will be guided by the current procurement policy. Provide training in leather, sandal making and ornament making. Practical and theory lessons on specific areas of interest. Practicum attachment with business entities/ production units. This will be done in close collaboration with The Undugu fair trade. The trainees will be linked to the existing businesses to Facilitating business entrepreneurship and life skills training Testing learners through the practical tests and end of course examinations Most of the items used by trainees are purchased locally and n phases. The instructors submit requisition for items which are purchased. Most of the items that are currently provided are consumables that are used for the purposes of training. The first batch of trainees has been able to make items that can now be sold in the local market. The trainer is currently working with the training officer to identify local markets and it is hoped that the proceeds from the trainees production will be ploughed back in the training to purchase additional items. The training currently being offered is mainly practical lessons with the instructors starting by sketching the designs and eventually moving to production. This sketching takes one to 2 months, then the trainees use paper cuttings to produce items before they eventually move to leatherwork. Since the beginning of the training, the trainees have learned how to make beaded Masaai sandal making, soccer balls, belts and school shoes. The first groups of trainees have been linked to business people in the adjacent market known as Kariobangi where mass production of items is being done. The instructors has been instrumental in supporting the trainees to find business mentors who are producing items sold in the local Maasai market frequented by Tourists. It is hoped that most of these business people will take in these trainees as employees and continue working with them when they complete their training. Life skills and Business skills training is integrated in the training curriculum. Apart from the instructors imparting basic business skills training, other project officers have also been invited to take trainees through various topics. Some of the topics include customer care, negotiation, costing, business skills and etiquette. Once a week trainees are taken for an exposure visit to existing businesses to interact and learn practical lessons from running businesses. The trainees enrolled at the training facility are given continuous assessments to test their ability competency. The instructor in charge of practical lessons assesses them by the products they make. It is hoped that they will sit one final examination that will cover before they are graduated. This will be done in phases depending on the capacity of the trainees. Good grades will largely depend on production of quality items with good finishing that can be acceptable in the local and international markets. 3 P age

5 Trainees happily display some of the Soccer balls produced during training. 3.0 Conclusion Despite the slow start resulting from the delay necessitated by the electioneering period at the beginning of the year, good progress has been seen with more and more trainees showing interest in joining the Leatherwork training and Ornaments making class in the second quarter of the year. USK is in the process of recruiting additional teacher/ instructor to support admit more trainees and increase the numbers. The new instructor will focus more on ornamental items such as hand bags, belts and gift items such as table mats, Key holders, picture frames, cards, beaded name tags used in conferences amongst many others. On behalf of the young people whose lives have been changed through this training, we want to sincerely thank the friends Circle Netherlands for making it possible for us to positively change the lives of our youths from poor and households. 4 P age