New skills creates new opportunities for young people to find work. Taking our training directly into communities helps us reach young people who might otherwise miss out on the chance to develop new skills and find work.
That’s why we’re excited to continue expanding our mobile training – this time taking it to Chongwe district, east of Zambia’s capital Lusaka.
This expansion has been made possible through a new partnership with the Chongwe Child Development Agency (CCDA), a non-profit organisation working across seven communities in Chongwe and Rufunsa Districts. Like Build It, CCDA recognises the important role vocational skills training plays in creating sustainable livelihoods and helping young people achieve their potential.
Bringing skills and opportunities to Chongwe
We are delivering our Training into Work programme at CCDA’s site in Chongwe. Twenty-five young people – 10 women and 15 men – have enrolled onto our entry-level Bricklaying and Plastering course. Alongside practical construction training, the programme includes improving life skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving.
Trainees will also complete work placements with local contractors to gain valuable real-world experience. These opportunities will help them build the skills, confidence and connections they need to find work and build their futures.
Meet the trainees
Amongst the trainees is 19-year-old Moses. Moses lives in Chongwe with his mother and three younger siblings. Illness prevented Moses from completing school, despite several attempts. Leaving school was painful for him:
“I felt bad because I couldn’t complete school,” he reflects, “I had a dream of studying agriculture.”
Moses took on casual jobs to help support his family; “When I make money, I share with my mother to help at home.”
But Moses’s experience of casual work has not always been positive, strengthening his desire to find a more reliable path toward earning a living. Moses is now training with us at Chongwe:
“I felt so happy to be accepted because this was my chance to redeem myself” – Moses
Eighteen-year-old Yvonne also saw the programme as a way forward. After finishing secondary school, she hoped to re-sit three subjects, but the costs were beyond what her family could afford.
With limited options available, Yvonne joined the training determined to develop practical skills and create new opportunities for herself. “It was better than staying home,” she says. “We do not have the privilege to choose work. We have to do whatever gives us money.”
Looking ahead, Yvonne is motivated by her desire to support her family:
“I want to get this skill and start something of my own. I want to help my family” – Yvonne
Building brighter futures
We are delighted to be working with CCDA to bring our Training into Work programme to Chongwe, and look forward to seeing what Moses, Yvonne and their fellow trainees achieve in the months ahead.
For more information on our training programme, please email [email protected]