Teaching at YVTC
The Diocese of Yei established the Yei Vocational Training College with help from CMS Ireland in 2003, just before the war ended.
It opened its doors to the first students in 2004 and, since then, has trained over 500 unemployed young Sudanese men and women in craft skills.These young people were mainly returnees who had been living in refugee camps in Uganda or Congo. With the end of the war, they returned to Yei but could not find employment.
Mechanics students at work on an engine
The College now offers five courses – Carpentry and Joinery; Building and Concrete Technology; Plumbing, water and sanitation; Electrical installation and Car mechanics and Driving. The most popular course by far is mechanics and driving and the College enjoys a 95% pass rate for its students who take their driving test. Former students are employed by government departments or NGOs as driver/mechanics and most seem to find employment, though often in the capital, Juba, rather than Yei. The College believes that approximately 60% of its former students find employment when they leave College.
In 2009 and 2010, The Brickworks made donations to the College to build new staff accommodation and to provide toolkits for graduating students. In 2011, we agreed to fund a Finance Office to work with the Principal on sorting out the College’s accounts.
Graduation day
Our next goal
The College would like to build a girls’ dormitory, some more staff accommodation and needs to buy toolkits for students who graduate successfully.
Did you know?
Large numbers of Sudanese, particularly girls, had their education disrupted by the war and they did not finish their schooling. Vocational training can be an ideal next step for such young people.
