Phillosophy Teaching Essay

At daybreak on the morning of Friday, August 3 1492, an Italian adventurer named Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain to find a new way from Europe to Asia. His aim was to open up a sorter trade route between the two continents. In Asia, he intended to load his three small ships with silks, spices and gold, and sail back to Europe a rich man. Columbus first sailed south to the Canary Islands. Then he turned west across the unknown waters of the mid-Atlantic Ocean. Ten weeks after leaving Spain, on the morning of October 12, he stepped ashore on the beach of low Sandy Island. He named the island San Salvador – Holy Savior. Columbus believed that he had landed in the Indies, a group of Inlands close to the mainland of India. For this reason he called the friendly, brown-skind people who greeted him los Indios – Indians. In fact, Columbus was not near India. It was not the edge of Asia that he had reached, but islands off the shores of a new continent. Europeans would soon name the new continent America, but for many years they went on calling its inhabitants Indians. Only recently have these first Americans been described more accurately as Native Americans or Amerindians. There were many different groups of Amerindians. Those north of Mexico, in what is now the United States on Canada, were scattered across the grasslands and forests in separate groups called tribes. These tribes followed very different ways of life. Some were hunters, some were farmers. Some were peaceful, others warlike. They spoke over three hundred separate languages, some of which were as different from one another as English is from Chinese. Europeans called America the New World. But it was not new to the Amerindians. Their ancestors had already been living there for maybe 50000 years when Columbus stepped on to the beach in San Salvador. We say maybe because nobody is completely sure. Scientists believe that the distant ancestors of the Amerindians came to America from Asia. This happened, they say, during the earth’s last ice age, long before people began to make written records. At that time a bridge of ice joined Asia to America across what is now the Bering strait. Hunters from Siberia crossed this bridge into Alaska. From Alaska the hunters moved south and east across America, following herds of caribou and buffalo as the animals went from one feeding ground to the next. Maybe 12000 years ago, descendants of these first Americans were crossing the isthmus of Panama into south America. About 5000 years later their camp fires were burning on the frozen southern tip of the continent, now called Tierra del fuego – the Land of fire. For many centuries early Amerindians lived as wandering hunters and gatherers of food. Then a more settled way of life began. People living in highland areas of what is now Mexico found a wild grass with tiny seeds that were good to eat. These people became America’s first farmers. They cultivated the wild grass with great care to make its seeds larger. Eventually it became Indian corn, or maze. Other cultivated plant foods were developed. By 5000 BC Amerindians in Mexico were growing and eating beans, squash and peppers. The Pueblo people of present day Arizona and New Mexico were the best organized of the Amerindians farming people. They lived in groups of villages, or in towns which were built for safety on the sides and top of the cliffs. They shared terraced buildings made of adobe ( mud and straw ) bricks, dried in the sun. Some of these buildings contained as many as 800 rooms, crowded together on top of one another. The Pueblo made clothing and blankets from cotton which grew wild in the surrounding deserts. On their feet they wore boot-shaped leather moccasins to protect their legs against the sharp rocks and cactus plants of the desert. For food the grow crops of maize and beans. Irrigation made them successful as farmers. Long before Europeans came to America and Pueblo were building networks of canals across the deserts to bring water to their fields. In one desert valley modern archaeologists have traced canals and ditches which enable the Pueblo to irrigate 250000 acres of farmland. A people called the apache were the neighbors of the Pueblo. The apache never became settled farmers. They wandered the deserts and mountains in small bands, hunting deer and gathering wild plants, nuts and roots. They also obtained food by raiding their Pueblo neighbors and stealing it. The Apache were fierce and warlike, and they were much feared by the Pueblo. The Iroquois were a group of tribes – a nation- who lived far away from the Pueblo and the Apache in the thick woods of northeastern North America. Like the Pueblo, they were skilled farmers. In fields cleared from the forest they worked together growing beans, squash and twelve different varieties of maiz. They were also hunters and fishermen. They used birch bark canoes to carry them swiftly along the rivers and lakes of their forest homeland. The Iroquois lived in permanent villages, in long wooden huts with barrel-shaped roofs. These huts were made from a framework of saplings covered by sheets of elm bark. Each family had its own apartment on either side of a central hall. The Iroquois were fierce warriors. They were as feared by their neighbors as the Apache of the western deserts were feared by theirs. Around their huts they build strong wooden stockades to protect their villages from enemies. Eager to win a glory for their tribe and fame and honor for themselves, they often fought one another. From boyhood on, male Iroquois were taught to fear neither pain nor death. Bravery in battle was the surest way for a warrior to win respect and a high position in his tribe. Many miles to the west, on the vast plains of grass that stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, there was another warrior nation. This group called themselves Dakota, which means allies. But they were better known by the name which other Amerindians gave to them – Sioux, which means enemies. Te Sioux grew no crops and built no houses. For food, for shelter and for clothing they depended upon the buffalo. Millions of these large, slow- moving animals wandered across the western grasslands in vast herds. When the buffalo moved, the Sioux moved.

How Sports Affect Academics

Narator: This Reflective Piece consists of three persons who are John, Rodney and Paul. Narrator: Week before Cape results are out John: So fellas, cape results coming out? Feel allyuh do good? Rodney: I hope so, I put in enough time and study because I was behind and I wanted to prove that I could do what nobody expected of me and excel. Paul: Hahaha, Rodney why you studied? You are still going to fail? Rodney: No, I stopped basketball to study and I made some good sacrifices. Paul: Stopped basketball? Make me stop football na?I’m going to do excellent in Cape and get a scholarship just for football. John: Well like you, Paul, I continue to play cricket but I was also focusing on my studies and putting in meh extra work. I balanced my academics with my extra-curricular activities. Rodney: Well, we will see which one of the three techniques worked the best. John: Yes we will see, but I pray to God I succeed. Paul: Ok den, we will see how good I’ve done. Narrator: Walkin g in school to collect their results John: Ok fellas, now today is the big day.Rodney: Yes it is, we will find out what our future is and what our next step in life is. Paul: Who wanna pray? Rodney: Pray na Paul. Paul: Please Lord, let us get the required grades needed to further our education in what we will like to do and be proud in Jesus name, Amen! Rodney: When you serious, you serious boy Paul but why you couldn’t be serious like that for your school work as you were for football or for this prayer? Paul: I was! Allyuh was just getting fooled. John: Let us just go quickly and get our grades please!Narrator: After receiving the Cape Results Rodney: Yesss! Da wa we talkin bout! John: Dun kno, I do rel good dan. Paul: Hmmm, I did ok, could have done better. Rodney: John and Paul how allyuh do? John: I did great, I got four distinctions and there’s even a bigger surprise. Guess? Paul: Wa is da boy? John: Ok, I also geh an open science schol. Rodney: Weyzz, you did be ast, I geh four ones and got an additional mathematics schol. Narrator: A moment of silence grew upon the three friends John: Well, Paul wa you geh? Paul: Orr ok uhmm I got three fours and a five.Five is a pass in Cape so at least I pass all my subjects. Narrator: John and Rodney laughed loudly Rodney: I thought you were going to get a scholarship because of football Paul? What causing that? Paul: Well honestly, I think it is because I did not rely focus a whole lot on my school work and did not manage my time the way I should have done. John: Although I did not quit or take a pause in my extra-curricular activity, I worked harder in pursuing my education and striving for excellence and cricket maybe one ah d reason why I geh an Open Schol too.Rodney: I put my sport on a hold for a while until my Cape Exam pass because I was not one of the brightest students so I could not of balance both basketball and academics. In making my decision I studied hard and made quality sacrifices to g eh my Maths Schol. Narrator: Making decisions in further education John: So what allyuh going to do to now? Paul: I think I going to S. A. M and settle down because I realize this life thing rel serious. I wa be an accountant. Rodney: I am going UWI and further my studies in maths. I am going to do a Major in Maths and a Minor in Actuarial Science.I wa be an Actuarial Scientist. John: Well, I am going Harvard and further my studies in sciences, mostly Chemistry. I wa be a Chemist. Rodney: We set our life goals deh eno, so we making up we mind to achieve eh and doe slack off. We wuh stay in touch. John: Yes of course and I hope allyuh excel in allyuh education and Paul, focus this time because I know you could do it. Paul: First, I am praying I get into SAM, but if I do, I will take a different approach in my school work and be serious cuz I wa my life run smoothly after and be proud of myself.John: Yea, later deh. I gone. Rodney: Yea I bussin deh too. Paul: Word, we wuh catch up in d long run. Narrator: The three persons excelled at their different goals and be what they wanted to be. One can surely realize that sports has a good and a bad effect on education but it is in yourself to take it serious and prove you can do it in whatever aspect of sports you are doing and career. In concluding this piece I think one should always â€Å"Strive for Excellence†.

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Research Paper Example University of Minnesota where the family lived for two years and then moved to the University of Southern California where the father for his PH D in 1974. Finally, they decided to settle in Fair Oaks California that was also the birth place of Sparks (Maryles, p12). Sparks did very well at elementary schools and then appeared to be a brilliant student at the high school as well. He also got the scholarship to the University of Notre Dame but things abruptly changed for him when he was injured and went a little insane. He returned home after his freshman year and started spending his days wandering here and there. His mother however, paid attention towards him and insisted that he should focus upon some activities rather doing nothing. She turned his attention towards book writing and after eight weeks he came up with his first novel The Passing that was unfortunately never published. His live took a beautiful turn when he met the girl of his dreams and fall in love at first sight when he saw Cathy in Florida during the spring break. He got married with the girl in 1981 and they became the parents of two children Miles Andrew and Ryan Cody. However, his working career was progressing very slowly. He wrote the second novel The Royal Murder in 1989 but even that was rejected by the publishers and then he decided to leave the writing and concentrate on some other work. He got involved is different part time jobs of his interest like telemarketing and real estate etc. He then started his own business and then became a pharmaceutical representative (Ragen, p81). Sparks was transferred to North Caroline is 1993 where he decided to focus upon his writing career once again and finally wrote his first published novel The Notebook. He wrote this novel over the time period of six month i.e. from June 1994 to January 1995 and it was published in October, 1995 by Warner Books. In 2003 the sequel of The Notebook was published with the name â€Å"The Wedding†. In 2004 a film

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Reflection - Essay Example In essence, it is about grasping, the text, poem or idea from the bible and trying to make good meaning of the word as contained in the text. What makes the book even more valuable is the fact that the authors gave attention to both the word, as well as the sentences as they are presented in the paragraphs. As if not enough, the book outlines the practical challenges uncounted in interpreting, as well as applying the bible teachings. It talks about grasping from the very practical, literal sense of the hands-on and of the practical know-how. Through this, the book provides training on how to correctly interpret and handle God’s word. On the overall, the book is spiritually enriching given that its focus is on grasping the word of God. Through learning how to interpret the word of God, one would be able to get the very correct meaning of the biblical teaching as put down by scriptural scholars and it is through this that he/she would understanding God, as well as oneself. Certa inly, there are various concepts and skills the book equipped me with. As outlined in the above text, the skill of interpreting the bible is quite outstanding. The authors emphasized on the word to word, sentence to sentence, as well as paragraph to paragraph. For instance, in part 4 and part 5, the book talks about the interpretive journey New Testament and the interpretive journey Old Testament. ... It is worth noting, in this case, that the key purpose of this book is to help serious believer including college students learn how to read, interpret, and apply the word of God. Moreover, the distinction between the Old and the New Testament has been clearly been outlined in this book, and how the two merge in so far as the message contained in the two chapters is concerned. The outstanding concepts, on the other hand, includes the concept behind various version of the bible, the way of reading bible following sentence to sentence, the discourses, following paragraphs, the holy spirit concept, application concept, the biblical historical concept and other many concepts. Certainly, the various skills and concepts as attained in this class are quite meaningful to me. I would make use of these skills and concepts in enriching my personal life alongside other people in the society. Through the skill of interpretation and reading the bible, I was able to understand well how to interpret the bible and thus have enabled me to make a personal decision in moving closer to God given the right interpretation. I will use this skill to help most serious believers to get to understand the bible well. Other skills are also of paramount importance as far as their applicability is concerned. The concept behind the Holy Spirit and the word of God is also quite informative. The historical, biblical concepts would boost my understanding about the word of God and applying the many concepts shall enable me provide the right information about the word of God to those I interact with. There are various concepts, as well as skills I look forward to study and practice. Key among them is the concept behind the Gospels, the revelation, the narratives used, the laws, the

Singapore airline Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Singapore airline - Literature review Example Singapore Airlines holds the honour of operating as the national airlines of Singapore. The airlines company operates from one of the main stations located in the Changi airbase of Singapore. From its central airbase the airlines company conducts its flights along several regions of the world pertaining to both Asiatic and other foreign nations. The Asiatic nations comprise of both South East Asian and other East and South Asian countries while the foreign flights consist of moving over to Australian and American regions. In terms of market capitalization the Airlines Company occupies the largest market share in the international domain. However in regards to Asian countries Singapore Airlines ranks eleventh. The Singapore Airlines had its birth during 1947 under the name of Malayan Airlines. It took the name of Singapore Airlines during 1972 and gradually started occupying the flying space in the Asian skies. By the end of 2010 the company grew to possess around 108 airplanes to ren der services on an expanded sphere. The company now also possess a subsidiary unit known as SilkAir and also helps the regular passengers avail offers and discounts. This policy of the flying company has helped it to gain a large number of consumers on a worldwide basis.According to a report published by Datamonitor (2010), Singapore Airlines operating in the international markets works on some key strengths and also suffers from certain weaknesses in the light of external opportunities and threats. Singapore Airline’s key strengths occupy its operation based on a diversified marketing base which helps the company to counter the potency of business risks. Further Singapore Airlines operates based on highly productive airplanes which helps the company to render enhanced services to the consumers. The company has also a large number of productive workforce which helps in enhancing the revenue and profitability position of the concern. The company also works on a diversified ser vice and product portfolio which helps it to minimise the chances of business risks. Internal strengths of the company helped it to gain a huge chunk of revenue of around $15,996.3 million. However in regards to other airline companies like All Nippon Airways and Air France the number of flight resources which Singapore Airlines possess is found to be quite low. Due to the low number of flight resources Singapore Airlines fails to gain large number of passengers as compared to the other competitors. Significant opportunities which are emerging in the external market consist of growth in the number of airline passengers for expansion of tourism activities and also in the use of flights for

BEER GAME Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BEER GAME - Essay Example Furthermore, during cold weather the demand declines drastically thereby increasing the cost of manufacturing the product. Businesses exist in self-sustaining cycles. When the demand for a product changes the prices of other complimentary products some of which are useful in the manufacturing process changes as well thereby compounding the challenges facing a business, the supply of bottled water for example uses such products and services as plastic bottles, branding and transportation among others. The nature of the product makes it susceptible to climatic conditions since they influence the demand thus compounding some of the supply challenges (SILK, 2006). The transportation cost for the bottled water is likely to increase during warm water as the demand for the product increases regionally. This implies that demand increases even to the transporters a feature of the business that is likely to increase the cost of conducting business thereby increasing the price of the product. D emand for bottled water increases during special occasions such as end year parties, graduations and sports among others. The demand for the product stays either constant or declines in the absence of such social gathering. The impromptu arrangement of some of the social functions makes it challenging the supplier to increase the quantity of the product during manufacture and to organize for their transportation to the university in time. Additionally, most of such occasions last a day and attracts undetermined quantity of people. Such occasions as graduations and sports attract many people while some occasions such as seminars and class parties may not attract as much people. The periodic nature of the demand coupled with the unreliable size of the demand makes both manufacturing and transportation to the university more challenging (PRASCH, 2008). It is more challenging to change the quantity of the product for a day and organizing for their transportation to the market. The sudde n organization of some of the events makes it more difficult for the business to set up the necessary infrastructure to manufacture an increased volume and transport them to the market in time. The problem increases since the company must find market for the excessive market should it increase its production yet the demand fails to meet the quantity of the supply. Such excessive production results in losses for the business (FISHER, 2007). Graduation gowns Graduation gowns on the other hand have a more determined market. The products are essential to the students at the end of every academic year as the students adorn them in their graduation ceremonies. This implies that the supplier has a specified amount of time of both manufacture and supply to the university, additionally; the supplier operates closely with the institution. The supplier of graduation gowns therefore has a determined market. However, the business just as any other faces numerous challenges most of which arise fr om the nature of the demand (BURROW & BOSILJEVAC, 2009). The products are for example relevant only during graduations. This implies that the supplier remains out of business during the rest of the academic days. The demand for the product stays minimal during the rest of the days but rises abruptly during the graduation day. While the supplier

Foreign Aid and Dictatorship Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Foreign Aid and Dictatorship - Research Paper Example Foreign aid also has a positive impact on the democracy of a country, which is one of the economic development pillars in developing countries. Countries experiencing high levels of injustices and poverty are often the recipients of aid, which is directed at saving the lives of those individuals, as well as improving the economy of that country. Public development projects like health centres, schools, and roads in some developing countries, depend entirely on foreign aid, whether in form of grants or loans. The grants and loans form a basic part of some country’s budget allocation, which signifies their economic importance. Accordingly, foreign aid helps recipient countries to improve their living of standards, but on a short-term basis. Besides directly benefiting the government of recipient countries, foreign aid also benefits the private sector and the families in those nations. Families and the private sector access aid through foreign direct investment and remittances (L ahiri 2007: 223). This kind of flow of aid resources may adversely affect the economy positively. Nonetheless, there is clear evidence of a cause-effect relationship between aid and development (economic and otherwise). There has been criticism revolving the issues of aid to developing countries, especially to African countries. Economists argue that inflow of aid affects a government’s consumption instead of investment (Sogge 2002:11). This is common in cases where a government has access to unconstrained aid funds, resulting to increase in government consumption that has a negative effect on the economy of that country. Considering the fact that foreign aid constitutes a major portion of developing countries’ revenues, there is a possibility of a â€Å"windfall† which may generate rent-seeking activities, corruption, and even civil wars. A prime example is World Bank’s Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline aid, estimated at 180 million USD. To avoid corruption, Wo rld Bank gave directives to Chad that the funds should be kept in offshore accounts, and that the purposes of the aid funds were strictly for infrastructure, health, and education (Lancaster 2007:27). Problems began after the government started receiving oil revenues in 2004, with the first bonus received from oil companies, 4.5 million USD, purchasing weapons for the Chad government. In total, close to 12 million USD was directed towards purchase of weapons, leading to suspension of the aid by the World Bank. Another case is Somalia. Experts state that the civil war in the country was a result of different factions’ desire to control the huge food aid to the country (Williamson, 2009). Recent studies highlight several mechanisms that explain why windfalls of resources in recipient countries lead to a decline in their economic growth. All the mechanisms indicate that individuals engage in rent-seeking activities in efforts to appropriate portions of the resources, which lead to a decline in the economic growth (Bealinger 2006: 63). The theories also incorporate the idea of commons, which describes the effects of the aggregate capital stock common access that foreign aid induces. In summary, foreign aid has a voracity effect: which states that if powerful groups exist in an inter-temporal

Anti-trust behavior of Microsoft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anti-trust behavior of Microsoft - Essay Example Further, there were no technical barriers to enter into the market as the product was not developed by using some unique skills or material which were not available to other suppliers in the market.   (Chan, The Seattle Times)There are however, certain other conditions to be met if one can completely characterize a firm as a pure monopoly. One of the key characteristics of monopoly market structure is the high barriers to entry either through technological sophistication or through other legal barriers. Further, seller must have the ability to discriminate on price by either reducing the quantity or price in order to sell more. It was the overall quality and ease with which a general consumer can use Microsoft’s operating system which made it the number one choice for the consumers. The price as well as the graphical user interface of the operating system actually made it simpler for the end users to operate the system.Monopolies could be good because they are quick to achie ve the economies of scale and avail lower average variable cost. Low cost therefore could result into the low prices therefore monopolies could be helpful in allowing consumers to enjoy lower prices. For example, Google’s search engine services are offered free of cost despite the fact that Google also has achieved the virtual status of a monopoly in the search engine market. Though Google is a monopoly however, its services are offered free of cost to every user therefore this type of monopoly can be good.

Managing a Diversity Training Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing a Diversity Training Program - Essay Example In US workplace, discrimination is a common phenomenon added by the theory, similarity-attraction which explains â€Å"people are more likely to be attracted to others who are similar to themselves than to others who are different from themselves (Paludi, 2012, Ch.1). As the leader of an insurance company in Baltimore, there are also other theories to be considered before developing a diversity training program like the social categorization theory and the social identity theory. According to the social categorization theory people in workplace tend to classify themselves and others who have common social elements like age, gender, religion and class. According to the social identity theory people tend to take pride in their own characteristics like specific age group or religious affiliations. As such these people form in-groups with others who they consider as their kin and feel separated from out-groups which contain groups other than the in-groups. In this way discrimination bec omes rampant in workplace (Paludi, 2012, Ch.1). For proper diversity management several things need to be considered. A workforce being culturally diverse there is potential of multiple talents and skills. Therefore, for a leader of an insurance company it is necessary that every individual be given proper opportunities to exhibit their talents and skills for the benefit of the company. This will create an overall inclusive working environment that can develop in spite of differences within workforce with no person feeling rejected. Thus, the key lies in creating an inclusive environment that will maximize the potential of all individuals in a workforce within a cultural context that will be advantageous for all (Rosado, 2006, p.4). However, there can be challenges in implementing diversity training program. In spite of the overall advantages of this program, it can be opposed by some members as they may be reluctant to adapt to

Health Care Informatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Health Care Informatics - Essay Example Roberta L. C (2001). Despite the dynamic nature of the required knowledge base, Healthcare informaticians must absorb a significant body of domain (healthcare, Computer Science, Systems instance, etc.) knowledge. These domain knowledge elements are the conceptual objects (the components of the professional's elaborated knowledge elements wherein each element is linked to related elements) required to support reasoning about problems and solutions. This domain knowledge must be the deepest and most comprehensive to support the Innovator and Theoretician roles. Despite the needs of healthcare organizations for personnel with the both the skills and the knowledge, most Healthcare Informatics curricula should be centered with a focus on the domain knowledge component. This is especially true of those programs oriented to producing Theoretical Healthcare Informaticians. Roberta L. C (2001). The healthcare fraternity is faced with challenges in the 21st century, a millennium that has been characterized with globalization. Most countries are looking for quality, cost-effectiveness, and personal satisfaction from their healthcare providers. The healthcare industry, responding to this highly competitive market, is reorganizing, consolidating, and integrating to form a new healthcare delivery structure that will enable the delivery of high quality, cost-effective care to everyone. However, healthcare entities find it difficult to accurately determine costs associated with treatments. They have little or no basis for understanding costs associated with their services or tradeoffs associated with in-house versus contracted professional services due to lack of consistency across practices. As a result, many healthcare entities take on significant risk when either bidding or letting a capitated contract. Ongoing consolidation and affiliation of healthcare organizations increase s uncertainty in cost projections and hence the complexity associated with efficient management. Roberta L. C (2001). Scope Macro health challenges of the 21st century must be addressed early on to provide opportunities for bettering individual and community health. The use of population data for disease surveillance can lead to better prevention and control of diseases and improved coordination of prevention efforts and medical care. An accurate definition of community health and disease status will facilitate health policy and resource allocation for health service delivery worldwide. Fright G. (1998). Coordination to the extent necessary to undertake the issues presented above requires the availability of "the right data to the right people at the right time in the right format for the right cost", made possible through open, interoperable and secure systems. Clinical repositories must support the efficient sharing of data, information and knowledge across the continuum of care, including clinical, administrative, and knowledge services. Such access to sensitive data raise privacy and security issues, prevalent among all information technology domains, but especially sensitive in healthcare. The risk of unauthorized access or disclosure of patient data and the lack of integrity of the information must be mitigated. Roberta L. C (2001). The Vision Industry has formulated a vision of the

Being a global grocery store Essay Example for Free

Being a global grocery store Essay Being a global grocery store and merchandising retail store, Tesco continues to consolidate its position as the worlds number three retailer after Wal-mart and Carrefour of the US and France, respectively. The Tesco company emerged in 1924, with its first store being opened in London, five years later. The same company has continued to grow, after that it opened up in 1956, its first supermarket. From then, the company has continued to realize growth and expansion, growing organically during the second phase of the 20th century. The growth during this epoch reached its apogee when in 1977, the Tesco company decided to reduce the prices of its commodities in lieu of Cohens rather antithetical policies. This resulted in Tesco company realising a 4% growth in its market share after every two months. Strategic directions and development methods that have been adopted by Tesco. Up to the moment, the Tesco company has been focusing on making innovations and facilitating conditions that can encourage the same. This is geared towards making the employees free enough to engage in efforts to come up with innovative ideas. The rationale behind this notion is that the rank and file of an entire organization has the ability to generate productive ideas. To this effect, the Tesco company as organization ensures that there is an open line through which the opinions and views of the employees can be solicited (Humby and Hunt 2007, 75). The effect that this approach has on the returns of the Tesco company is that it has realized a stable base of employees who are loyal. This is because the employees, courtesy of the practice, are left with the feeling of being totally integral to the company and being appreciated by the management board. This has bolstered the cause of Tesco companys growth and expansion, due to low employees turnover. The low employees turnover becomes inevitable for Tesco company since employees take to remain loyal to the company, and thus saving it from needing to recruit new employees. At the same time, the Tesco company takes to target the desired goal by making regular consultations with the clients on the quality of goods produced by the Tesco company. This exercise has been very instrumental in helping the Tesco company channel its synergies towards efficiency and customer satisfaction. Forces that are promoting the food retail industrys globalisation. According to Harris and Dennis (2002, 177) there are several forces that ensure the global adoption of the Tesco company food retail. In the first case, the company makes it its responsibility to ensure that its operations are attune to the indigenous tastes and preference of the local market. To this effect, Tesco company takes it upon itself to tamper its operations with the indigenous culture, regulations and delivery chains. This feat has been instrumental in placing the Tesco company in the map. At the same time, Tesco company builds brands that enable it as a company to forge longterm relationships with its clients. In the same vein, the company maintains its ability to fix its focus on the targeted countries, even in the face of going global. This, the company takes to achieve by establishing brands that are unique and of high standard. In the same wavelength, Tesco company has ensured these prospects by establishing brands that are nation or state- specific. In order to thoroughly entrench itself into the global market, Tesco company ensures that it carries out designs that are multi formatted. According to Baker (2002, 90), this has been important to Tesco company, given the fact that it has been established that there is no single format that has been able to consolidate its position in the global market. How Tesco strategy in the US may help it realize competitive advantage. In the US Context, Tesco company has tried to achieve an edge over its peers by taking to mitigate the extent of the shopping costs. Another feather in Tesco companys cap exists, courtesy of the fact that the deficit does not fall on the shoulders of the suppliers. Rather, the Tesco company sorts out the situation through the enhancement of the efficiency and the adoption of simpler processes in the course of the companys operations. Hooley, Saunders and Piercy (2004, 67) maintain that this means that clients are able to realize relatively less costly shopping expeditions, from the Tesco company. Unlike Tesco company, its peers even after reducing the shopping price, still leave financial weight to fall squarely on the suppliers. The suppliers on the other hand try to settle the deficit by exacting higher prices to the retailers who then impose extra costs on the consumers. This cycle becomes the epitome of the adage, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. In about the same vein, Tesco company is trying to build a niche for itself in the American context by opening up many stores that support the issuance of hard discount (Tapp 2002, 122). To crown this effort, Tesco company has remained responsible for the invitation of British companies that can bolster the interests of the same. Some of these companies are the Big Kahuna Wine a label of Fresh and Easy. This company has been influential in dragging a huge clients base to Tesco company scores, owing to the quality wine and delicious poultry meat it serves. Conclusion. It is important for any company that seeks to emulate Tesco company to take to stock, the fact that the latter has, apart from the aforementioned practices, ensured that it dabbles its operations with the concept of capability. To this cause, the Tesco company ensures the employment of skills, and not scale. This, for the Tesco company portends ensuring that the skills are elicited from its rank and file and the systems processes. Therefore, even small scale companies are inexcusable when it comes to (under) performance. References. Baker, M. J. Tesco company and marketing mix, New York: Prentice Hall, 2002. Harris, L. and C. Dennis, Tesco company and e business, London, SAGE, 2002. Hooley, G. , J. A. Saunders and Piercy, N. , Tesco company marketing strategies, New York: McGraw Hill, 2004. Humby, C. and P. Hunt, Tesco company and customer loyalty, Harvard, Harvard University Press, 2007. Tapp, A. , The principles of database and direct marketing, Michigan, Michigan University Press, 2002.

Supply Chain Risk Management

Supply Chain Risk Management A global supply chain is subject to various types of supply and demand uncertainties existing at different nodes of the supply chain giving rise to a variety of risks that can lead to disruption. Companies that stay on top of supply chain risk make their businesses more resilient. They can enhance the companys competitive position, support growth and produce measurable returns. Many companies have recognized this and are now undertaking supply chain risk management programs This research paper reviews published approaches to supply chain risk management and tries to understand how the risks differ in two major industries-electronics and pharmaceuticals. For managers, it provides knowledge of the types of risks that may be present in their supply chain and presents a variety of strategies for identifying and managing the same. Introduction Globalisation, multiple channels to market, the pressure to run lean supply chains extending beyond traditional organisational boundaries, and the need to embrace external parties such as contract manufacturers and logistics service providers, have left the modern supply chain increasingly vulnerable to risk and to possible disruption. Economic disruptions including currency fluctuations, commodity price volatility, and sudden downturns in demand and ownership or investment restrictions imposed by governments have become more frequent and more visible since the financial crisis of 2008. Despite significant growth in international trade, cross-border movements are vulnerable to customs regimes, tariff and non-tariff barriers, quota systems, security concerns and infrastructure bottlenecks. All these risks can be clubbed into- macroeconomic, extended value chain, operational and functional risks. Almost two-thirds of the respondents to a global survey conducted by Mckinsey consisting of executives, say that the risks to their supply chain have increased over the past years. A significant of them also agreed to the fact their companies dont take any steps to mitigate these risks. (Source: September 2006 Mckinsey Quarterly global survey of business executives) Thus there is a clear need to review risk management practices as they pertain to both long-term strategic and short-term tactical decision-making. Organizations should review their risk exposure against objective, transparent criteria, with costs balanced against the benefits of potential methods for mitigating risk. . There are two sides to supply chain risk management: Risk assessment and mitigation Response to supply chain disruption Both are necessary components to an effective supply chain risk management strategy. With strong risk mitigation strategies in place a company is ready to face a given supply chain event. However, not all events may be anticipated. When these events occur, accompany must be prepared to respond quickly and effectively or risk suffering financial and customer service losses. Both the quantitative and qualitative risks will be covered through this paper. A step by step approach to tackle SCRM is proposed:- Assessing risk To assess risk, an inventory of key risks is build, along with the effects and probabilistic likelihood of each risk. A supply chain probability and impact matrix needs to be built. Designing a framework to manage the supply chain Once assessed, supply chain risks need to be managed via a framework that integrates all the key risk capabilities required. Implementing supply chain risk mitigation Companies need a robust action plan funded with the appropriate resources to address the core of the risk issues and implement treatment. The objective of this paper is to propose a comprehensive risk management and mitigation model for global supply chains. The model is intended to equip managers with a step-by-step procedure to identify, assess, and manage risks in their global supply chains, and guide future research. The paper reviews various risk mitigation techniques proposed in different papers in this subject and tries to understand its significance in the electronics and pharmaceutical industry. Literature Review Manuj and Mentzer (2008) say that due to demanding customers and competitive pressures, businesses today are restructuring themselves to operate on a global basis to take advantage of the international product, factor, and capital markets. There are several concerns in operating globally, including economic, political, logistical, competitive, cultural, and infrastructure. Typically, a firm operating internationally is part of a complex supply chain. Global supply chains require highly coordinated flows of goods, services, information, and cash within and across national boundaries. Maximizing profits in a multi-national environment include sourcing from locations that offer the lowest total procurement cost, manufacturing and assembling products in least cost countries, and marketing in high potential demand centres. But Wright and Datskovska (2012) are of the opinion that through lean processes and the geographical concentration of production, most executives would probably say tha t their supply chains and transport networks have become more efficient. These advances in efficiency, however, have also changed the risk profile for their supply chains. Janat Shah (2009) proclaims that lean techniques have created chains with longer paths and shorter clock speeds resulting in more opportunities for disruption and a smaller margin for error for a disruption to take place. Lengthy supply chains are increasingly proving to be a source of concern in the face of disruptions in sourcing, production and distribution of goods and services. As a result, many organizations need to take a hard look at supply chain risk and to review their plans and procedures for dealing with a broad range of new contingencies. Supply chain risk classification Wagner and Bode (2008) describes a supply chain risk as the combination of (1) an unintended, anomalous triggering event that materializes somewhere in the supply chain or its environment, and (2) a consequential situation which significantly threatens normal business operations of the firms in the supply chain. We can describe a five step approach to supply chain risk management- Risk Identification, Risk Assessment and Evaluation, Selection of Appropriate Risk Management, Implementation of Supply Chain Risk Management Strategy and Mitigation of Supply Chain Risk. Different authors have described various classifications of risk sources. Various supply chain risks can be divided as Supply, Operational, Demand, Security, Macro, Policy, Competitive and Resource risks. Chopra and Sodhi (2004) classify them as Disruption, Delay, Forecast, Systems, IP, Procurement, Receivables, Inventory and Capacity risks. Juttner, Peck and Christopher (2004) simplifies the classification to environmenta l risk sources, network-related risk sources and organisational risk sources. Risk assessment Pramod Kumar Mishra (2011) says that decisions on supply risks can be taken only when the impact of risks on the companys business can be evaluated. This can be quantitative or qualitative depending on the resources available. Risk assessment involves exploring what if scenarios like those below can help groups identify, understand and prioritize risks, a key prerequisite to tailoring effective risk-mitigation strategies. Manuj talks of two methods-probabilistic choice and risk analysis methods depending on the repeatability of events. Janat Shah has described constructing a probability and impact matrix to assess risk. Historical data may be used to understand the behaviour of risk probability distributions. However, there are many instances when there is none, inadequate, or unreliable historical data. In such cases, techniques such as the Delphi method may be used to assign probabilities. But Iyer(2008) says that this exercise is challenging because the relationships between risk factors are not static. One decision or risk factor may impact other risk factors. Risk mitigation Risk management is focused on identifying and assessing the probabilities and consequences of risks, and selecting appropriate risk strategies to reduce the probability of, or losses associated with, adverse events. Basically risk mitigation strategies can be classified primarily into seven categories: avoidance, postponement, speculation, hedging, control, sharing/transferring, and security. Hult, Craighead and Ketchen (2010) have suggested real options based method. Janat Shah has created a matrix with investment required for mitigation and risk score as the axis to decide the mitigation plan. Juttner, Peck and Christopher (2004) in there paper have defined an approach based on avoidance, control, cooperation and flexibility. Avoidance is through dropping product lines, markets, supplier or partners. They define a control approach through increasing stockpiling and buffer inventory, maintaining excess capacity and imposing contractual obligations. Cooperation is mentioned to be thr ough joint efforts in information sharing and preparing continuity plans. Flexibility can be through multiple sourcing and localised sourcing. Blos, Wee and Yang (2009) have devised a framework based on business continuity planning. Depending on the demand and supply uncertainty, the authors have also defined a matrix aligning the strategic objectives of the firm with the supply chain objective and the mitigation plan to be followed. An efficient, responsive, risk hedging and agile supply chain each have different plans. There are also devised methods for continous risk monitoring-stress testing and Tailoring Risk Management approaches. Trade-off The biggest challenge companies face is mitigating supply-chain risks without eroding profits. Juttner, Peck and Christopher (2004) summarised the trade-off decision as (1) Repeatability versus unpredictability, ie trading the benefits of repeatable processes against the cost of a lack of flexibility; (2) the lowest bidder versus the known supplier; (3) centralisation versus dispersion decisions in production and distribution; (4) collaboration versus secrecy, ie while sharing more information on e.g. the results of risk audits would better place organisations to manage supply chain risks, it could also deter potential customers or weaken the bargaining position; (5) redundancy versus efficiency, ie managing the conflict between excess capacity in a supply chain and the efficiency-focused lean paradigm aiming at the elimination or reduction of waste. A final, maybe paramount supply chain trade-off decision is between managing risk and delivering value. This is the trade-off between t he extra costs related to most of the mitigating strategies and the total costs of supply as a main principle of contemporary supply chain management. Risks in Pharmaceutical industry Enyinda, Mbah, Ogbuehi (2010) reports on the empirical findings of the quantification of risks that decision makers consider most important when deciding on a risk portfolio to mitigate and the manner in which risks are prioritized according to their importance in the pharmaceutical sector. The empirical findings suggest that decision makers attached great importance to counterfeit, Food and Drugs Board, and exchange-rate fluctuations. With respect to risk-mitigation strategies, risk reduction is considered most important, followed by risk avoidance. Dynamic sensitivity analysis with respect to a change (increase) in the Food and Drugs Board did not result in any change in the ranking of risk policy options, while a change (increase) in counterfeit resulted in a change in the ranking between risk reduction and risk avoidance. Risk avoidance ranked number one, followed by risk reduction. The paper leverages the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to quantify risk mitigation. Greg Brandyberry (2010) reports five important trends in risk management practices in the pharmaceutical industry. Sensible cash-flow management: With the changing environment of increased regulation, price controls, generic-drug competition, and longer and more expensive research and development cycles, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have become much more focused on supply-chain cash-flow management strategies (following the lead of other industries that began implementing these strategies as many as 25 years ago). These strategies consist of a combination of programs that strive to better balance cash inflows versus cash outflows. Better balance of low cost versus low risk. Global supply chains have been under development across pharmaceutical industry since decades. Outsourcing, combined with low-cost country sourcing, is even riskier. The US Food and Drug Administrations recall of heparin in 2008 due to contamination of lots produced in China is another example. In this heparin recall, the drug was oversulfated as Chinese heparin manufacturers were unethically cutting the medication with chondroitin sulfate to cut down on manufacturing costs. This incident had devastating impacts on those who had chosen to use this Chinese supplier. FDA reported that there were hundreds of serious adverse reactions and scores of deaths among patients that had taken the heparin (2). The hard lessons learned from this incident have made it important for companies to revaluate their low-cost country sourcing strategies. They are evaluating risk versus cost and rebalancing their supply strategies to less riskier profiles. Comprehensive strategic-procurement initiatives Strategic sourcing is a pragmatic and structured procurement process. This process is conducted over several steps and includes: rigorous internal and external analysis; development of multiple strategic options weighted for risk and cost; strategy selection made collaboratively with business stakeholders; well-orchestrated negotiation; and detailed implementation planning, supplier selection, and ongoing supplier management, including continuous-improvement activities. Sustainability When it comes to embracing sustainability and green behaviour in manufacturing and product specifications, several large corporations such as GlaxoSmithKline (London), Proctor Gamble (Cincinnati), Diageo (London), and Unilever (London) achieved material cost savings, enhanced brand image, and generated increased demand for their products through innovative changes in primary and secondary packaging components. Risk in electronics industry Frank Zwibler and Marco Hermann (2012) have suggested that most supply chains in the electronics industry are global networks consisting of a single OEM, an A-supplier, and several small and medium supply companies (SME). These networks are characterized, firstly, by the dominance of the OEM or the A-supplier and, secondly, by the volatile electronics market and its strong fluctuations in demand, short product life cycles, and tremendous potential for technical innovation. Supply chain mapping, brain-writing method and stress, resilience and expense portfolio have been described as successive steps of risk identification. The Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) technique has been used for risk assessment. After assessing the different parameters, the so-called risk priority number (RPN) can be determined. Risk measures to control are similar to earlier described mitigation plans. Sodhi(2005) has outlined a process to manage this risk by suggesting two risk measures for demand- a nd inventory-related risk respectively and two linear-programming (LP) models: one for allocating the plants replenishment schedule among the customers and the other to guide the request to plants for replenishment over the horizon. Research lacunae There is an immense need for action in industry to implement supply chain risk management systems. Each industry differs in their management of supply chain risks. Not only that supply chain risk management is not evenly applied throughout the different sectors, there are also great differences in the use and the implementation of supply chain risk management. A study comparing sector wise supply chain risk management is of immense scope. Research Methodology Mainly secondary research from peer reviewed journals, articles, websites and proceeds. Analysis The supply chain risk management process can be summarised as Figure : Supply Chain Risk Management Framework Electronics Industry More than ever before, electronics manufacturers are facing harsh realities. With further dismantling of trade barriers, globalization is now enabling companies to enter new markets each with its own standards and regulations creating fragmented product lines and distributed networks of suppliers and vendors. Product innovation is receiving greater emphasis as global competitors turn up the heat and product lifecycles continue to shrink. The entire nature of demand has changed, placing traditional forecasting weak. The fact is, long-range planning and demand forecasting are increasingly and inherently losing their ability to guide manufacturers as the recent inventory crisis in electronics showed all too clearly. With the introduction of partners such as electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers, component suppliers and distributors, original design manufacturers (ODMs), contract design manufacturers (CDMs), and other participants, it becomes more challenging to control that network of suppliers. Although original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) still have direct design relationships with the semiconductor. Suppliers, the purchasing relationship comes about through the OEMs partners, making inventory ownership ambiguous, blurring inventory visibility across the supply chain, and creating unstructured processes among partners for managing supply chain execution. Figure Electronics Supply Chain (Source: QAD White Paper: Successful Risk Management in the Electronics Supply Chain) Critical risks Inventory Risk This is the greatest risk for supply chains getting caught holding inventory when a product becomes obsolete or demand shifts unexpectedly. With the highly volatile demand of electronics manufacturing, companies that rely heavily on demand-forecast accuracy face unnecessary inventory risks. Supply-Interruption Risk Conversely, no company wants to experience materials shortages that impact their ability to supply finished product to their customers. Supply interruptions are the ultimate opportunity cost for manufacturers. Capacity Risk In the cyclical electronics industry, most profits arise from new orders during a peak cycle coinciding with price premiums. Too little capacity presents significant opportunity costs. Conversely, excess capacity can negate the profits gained in the peak period. (Frank Zwibler and Marco Hermann (2010)) Risk Mitigation Inventory Visibility Faster Information Lead Times Sales and Operations Planning Managing Key Performance Indicators Managing Inter-Enterprise Business Processes Lean Manufacturing Service and Support Management An IT backbone enabling Supporting a pull-based manufacturing and replenishment environment Achieving inventory visibility across fragmented supply chains including multiple tiers and component suppliers and contract manufacturers Minimizing supply interruptions by reducing information lead time Comprehensive sales and operations planning (SOP) to optimize inventory at various points in the supply chain Monitoring supply chain KPIs including supplier and contract performance Managing outsourcing operations Supporting lean manufacturing and lean supply chain strategies Creating aggregated supply plans to drive strategic sourcing This ability to assess the impact and exposure from sources of risk made a big difference to the fortunes of Nokia and Ericsson, which were leading cell phone vendors in 2000. In March 2000, a fire broke out at their common supplier Phillips NVs semiconductor plant in New Mexico, forcing the plant to remain shut down for several months. The difference in outcomes between the two companies was dramatic-Nokia came out of the disruption stronger and gained market share, while a substantially weakened Ericsson lost more than à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬400 million that year and ultimately exited the cell phone market in 2001. This difference was primarily due to Nokias comprehensive supply chain risk management program, which helped the company immediately-and accurately-estimate the impact of the shutdown on its business, and then react accordingly. Nokia switched orders to other Phillips plants and to Japanese and American suppliers, and redesigned chips to reduce its reliance on Phillips products. By comparison, Ericsson was unable to assess the potential impact of the fire on its business and could not respond quickly to the incident. Pharmaceutical Industry Figure : Pharmaceuticals Supply Chain (Source: Chartered Quality Institute Guide) Critical Risks Counterfeit Drugs As pharmaceutical supply chains worldwide continue to experience increased risk levels, led by counterfeit risk, the WHO reports (1998) that 10% of all drugs distributed worldwide are counterfeits, with a disproportionate 60% rate in the developing countries. Pharmaceutical counterfeits can impose tremendous costs on both the pharmaceutical industry and patient safety. The costs through the actions of counterfeiters and diverters include more sick patients, loss of life, erosion of public health confidence, loss of brand image, reduced profit and reduced shareholder value. These costs are compounded by the costs of product recalls and the growing threat of counterfeiting and diversion. Compromised or untrustworthy drug value chains can create uncertainty , decrease investment, and decrease in research and development. Food and Drugs Board Compliance norms for pharmaceuticals can make or break a drug. Regulators are becoming much stricter about quality issues, increasing the size and frequency of mandatory product recalls. The number of drug recalls by the FDA increased by more than 28 percent in 2009 to 2010, for example Exchange-rate fluctuations Foreign exchange rates can fluctuate dramatically over the course of a supply agreement and it is important to consider their impact upfront. Clinical trial risk This is a risk specific to the pharma supply chain arising as a result of the drug development process. The empirical findings from Enyindas research using Saatis AHP indicate that counterfeit risk (0.453) is considered more important, followed by FDB (0.264), exchange rate (0.112) and other risks. This helps in inferring the ranking of the risks in the sequence presented above. Risk mitigation for Counterfeits Usage of technology is the only means to curb the menace of counterfeit drugs. Sophisticated pack design and labelling using special inks Holograms Tags and tamper-evident seals Field agents actively investigating instances of counterfeit product Consumer Awareness Programs Enyinda Szmerekovsky(2010) have proposed that U.S. pharmaceutical firms must turn to SR supply chain to better track and trace prescription drugs. And the key enabler to SR supply chain is RFID technology that has been touted as the holy grail. Because of the significant promise that RFID has, FDA recommended its adoption by the pharmaceutical industry in order to achieve and meet the electronic pedigree requirement and compliance. Effective risk management requires the ability of the decision maker to rank and prioritize a portfolio of risk factors involved in the supply chain. Managing the risk throughout the supply chain now means taking a systemic view. The goal is to build a system that can detect and work around any major supply-chain weaknesses. Discussion Hypothesis H0: All industries face similar supply chin risks. H1 :All findustries do not face same supply chain risks. Analysis of the risks shows that each of the industrys pharmaceuticals and electronics has critical risks which are quite unique to it in the case of the former. Firstly, Counterfeit risks are an inherent risk in the pharmaceutical sector with irreparable damage and life threatening implication as a result. This can tarnish the company with a huge blow to its brand and spoil its top line in the short term. They have a higher potential of damage to the company in terms of plausible revenue losses because of the inseparability in their appearance as compared to the original. This is not the same case with electronics where, there are ample amount of duplicates in the market but their appearance and performance can be easily scrutinized to arrive at a decision to buy. And they rarely have life threatening consequences. Secondly, pharmaceutical industry is controlled by the FDA who is a strict watchdog of the practices in the industry. New drugs receive extensive scrutiny before FDA approval in a process called a New Drug Application or NDA. The FDA reviews and regulates prescription drug advertising and promotion. After approval of an NDA, the sponsor must review and report to the FDA every patient adverse drug experience of which it learns. In electronics there is CEA, but they are not that a controllable authority as that FDA puts on pharmaceuticals. Thirdly, clinical trials done during drug development are very unique to the pharmaceutical research developing new drugs. Thus these particular risks are not a part of electronics industry and the generalised risk framework wont do for the same.They require specialised risk mitigation plans as discussed. Conclusion and Managerial Implications Supply Chain risk management will be a key success factor for companies in a globalized world if they have implemented a risk management process in their organizational structure. We have briefly reviewed several published literatures on supply chain risks. An effort has been made to define critical risks followed by its classification for electronics and the pharmaceutical industry. Several models of risk assessment from published sources have been reviewed .After this, several strategies of risk management is being presented. Supply chain risk management is thus a growing and challenging area with lot of research potential to be explored further. A future research scope would be to quantify the impact of various risks on each industry through primary research. Both pharmaceutical and electronic supply-chain risks are often related to a lack of information visibility or deviations in the information and physical flows from upstream to downstream, increased knowledge of essential risk management procedures and structures can significantly improve the ability of decision makers in implementing appropriate mitigation treatments for identifiable risk portfolios.

Improving Youth Livelihood through Institutional Support

Improving Youth Livelihood through Institutional Support Strengthening Technical, Vocational Education and Training Institutions for Improved Livelihood Skills ACRONYMS ANDP Activists Network for Disabled People AYODA Africa Youth Development Association CLHE Candle Light for Health and Education CSS Central and South Somalia DFID Department for International Development DRC Danish Refugee council DRP Disaster Recovery Plan EBT Enterprise- Based Training EC European Commission IAS International Aid Service ICRA Islamic Childrens Rescue agency IBT Institution Based Training IDPs Internally Displaced Persons IICO International Islamic Charitable Organization ILO International Labour Organization IOM International Office of Migration MOE Ministry of Education NFE Non Formal Education NGO Non-Governmental Organization PEER Regional Programme for Education in Emergencies PIDAM Puntland Institute of Development Administration and Management SCD Save the Children, Denmark SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SOSTA Somali Skills Training Association STEO Skills Training Employment Opportunity TVE Technical and Vocational Education TVET Technical and Vocational Education Training UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Childrens Fund VTC Vocational Training Centre WFL Water for Life WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organization US AID US Agency for International Development Fact Sheet Somalia[1] Somalia is situated in a place where most of the bordering countries are unstable except Kenya which has also observed post election violence in December 2007. It has border with Djibouti,Kenya, YemenandEthiopia. It has been in midst of a civil war since early nineties, the civil war has disrupted livestock breeding and agriculture which are the main stay of local economy. The major reason of civil war is due to the hidden interests of business community which is benefitting from the prevailing situation and other reason is clan based conflicts which are also at large. There are three main clans â€Å"Daroud, Hawaya and Issak â€Å".Somalia had an invasion from Ethiopian forces in December 2006 but now they have also evacuated but the fight is still going on between Al-Shabab and government forces. Puntland and Somaliland regions have declared themselves to be autonomous of the federal government at Mogadishu. Important statistics are as under: Area 637,667 sq km 246,201 sq miles, semi arid, 2% arable, 1.6% water Total irrigated land 2000 sq km in 2003 Population 9,558,666 (85th[2]) Density 13/sq km (198th) 100% population belongs to Sunni Muslim branch of Islam. GDP-PPP US $ 5.575 Billion (153rd) GDP Per Capita US $ 600 (222nd) Livestock and Agriculture 65 %, Industrial Sector 10% Services Sector 25 % Exports 65% Livestock, remaining fish, hides/leather frankincense (aromatic gum)) etc Foreign Remittances US $ 2 billion/year Internet usage increased 44900% from year 2000 to 2007, highest in Africa Urbanization 8% increase per year, one of the highest in Africa, currently 34 % population lives in cities. Literacy Male: 24%, Female : 36%, 14%, 22% of Somali children are enrolled in Primary schools[3] Executive Summary There had been number of stakeholders working in the field of TVET in Somalia resulting in different policies and guidelines given by the state governments, different organizations and donor agencies according to their own mandate. There was no uniform approach being followed by different organizations working in the field of income generation and TVET activities. I felt the need to have a standardized approach for better delivery in the TVET sector. An in-depth analysis was carried out on Overview of TVET management in Somalia, study of TVET institutions, Management model, a content analysis of UNESCO PEER assisted syllabuses and review of economic sectors and recommendations made after each part of this thesis report on each of these thesis components. , For this purpose I remained in Somalia from 12 Dec 2009 till 23 Dec 2009.Detailed meetings were held to discuss, evaluate and consolidate its finding after interaction with MOE officials, VTC managers, trainers, donors and experts from relevant technical and vocational education sectors. The thesis also discussed in detail valuable contribution made in the TVET field by other stakeholders in Somalia. The existing management system of VTCs was analyzed. A workable management model for a VTC has been worked out for uniform implementation. The TVET curriculum designed by UNESCO-PEER with the help of Italian Government has been recommended to all stakeholders to be adopted as standard syllabi for entire Somalia. Finally overall analyses of the TVET situation in Somalia have been carried out to give recommendations for best possible way for improvement in this field. The need to have overall coordination between all stakeholders for TVET has been highlighted to make any intervention meaningful and effective. It is expected that based on the thesis and the recommendations Somali Education Authorities and key implementation partners regarding the appropriate strategies to be implemented for addressing the most important areas in the field of TVET. PART I 1. BACKGROUND TO THE THESIS AND VISITS TO TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTRES 1.1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in conflict and post conflict areas is a critical component of the socio-economic development programmes as well as a fundamental component of reintegration. Acquisition of livelihood skills results in battling poverty and social exclusion in favour of self-employment. This helps to reduce unemployment, among marginalized population in conflict and post conflict countries. TVET acts for creation of skilled manpower that becomes self-employed and thereafter creates employment opportunities within their enterprises for others. It is within this framework that UNESCO PEER and other stakeholders like Diakonia and SCD has been implementing TVET projects in Somalia with the financial support of partners mainly the EC, SCIDA, Italian and Norwegian Governments. TVET curriculum/syllabi according to the market demand, training of centre managers, instructors and provision of support materials and textbooks to vocational training centres (V TCs) and initiation of standardized assessment and certification are examples of activities undertaken by UNESCO-PEER in Somalia. The syllabi and support materials so far developed have been popular with the users and a number of countries have shown interest to adapt them through the assistance of UNESCO-PEER. Prior to the civil war that culminated in the collapse of the government in 1991, Somalia had functioning technical and vocational institutions in Mogadishu, Merka, Biadoa, Galkayo, Wajid, Kismayu, Bossaso, Burao and Hargeisa that specialized in a range of technical courses and traditional trades at craft and artisan levels. These courses were properly managed by government and the youth joined these institutions and specialized in various courses that enabled them to earn a living. Most of these institutions were, however destroyed or run down during the civil war period. Consequently, the youth who dropped out of school or were never enrolled in schools at all, found themselves helpless without any livelihood skills. This problem was aggravated by returnees who also had no skills. The Ministries of Education in Puntland, Somaliland and Central South Somalia in collaboration with international agencies have played significant rolls in catering for the training needs of the youth and other vulnerable groups. 1.2 PURPOSE The main purpose is to identify and propose the best options in terms of training of youth for improving their livelihood skills through institutional development and income generation activities. The needs assessment of the VTCs was carried out to propose new skills according to the market demand. 1.3 OBJECTIVES i. To review the current approach to delivery of TVET and provide policy advice; ii. Conduct baseline study; iii. To Conduct needs assessment and skills gap analysis; iv. Review existing syllabuses developed by various stakeholders v. To study the management of the one Technical and Vocational Education Centre and on the basis of the findings recommend, the model to be applied to other TVET institutions. 1.4. SCOPE I planned to cover the whole of Somalia for my thesis but due to insecurity in the Central South Somalia, I was not cleared to go there. The research took place in the Puntland State of Somalia (PSS) and Somaliland. The research targeted the Non Formal and technical and vocational Education sub-sector using the IDPS, Refugees, Returnees, pastoral communities and ex militia as research subjects. 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE i. It will act as a catalyst for streamlining the TVET sector in Somalia. ii. The need to have better understanding of the ground realities was brought out in the study for better decision making. iii. The requirement to have a coordinated strategy in TVET field has been highlighted. Better coordination between various stakeholders will contribute to optimum utilization of available resources. iv. Will act for capacity building of MOE, VTCs and other stakeholders. 1.6. METHODOLOGY A number of meetings and visits were held with different stakeholders, NGOs and UN agencies working in the field of TVET. This was done in close collaboration with the Somali Ministries of Education at various levels, and other stakeholders involved in Vocational Education. Vocational Training Centers were visited and interaction was carried with their managers, students and trainers to find out their potential, weaknesses and requirement for upgrading and other Livelihood Skills opportunities An assessment of the job market was carried out to find out the livelihood skills required in Somalia. 1.7 VISITS TO TRAINING CENTRES AND MEETINGS WITH STAKE HOLDERS Site visits were arranged by the field staff of UNESCO PEER in consultation with the Ministries of Education in both Somaliland and Puntland. My movement was however, hampered by the adverse security environment, making it difficult to visit such places as Galkayo, in Puntland and Berbera and Burao in Somaliland. Movement in Central South Somalia remained restricted. Site visits were conducted in Bossasso, Hargeisa and Borama as shown in the table below; VISITS AND MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDERS REGION PLACE DATES INSTITUTIONS VISITED GAROWE 13-15 Dec 2009 Ministry of Education Garowe VTC PUNTLAND BOSSASSO 16-18 Dec 2009 1. PIDAM- Puntland Institute of Development, Administration and Management 2. Dan Door VTC 3. Bossasso College of Health Sciences 4.East Africa Fishing Factory, Tannery, Radio and Electronic repair shops 5. Telecommunications offices 6. Puntland Hospital SOMALILAND HARGEISA 18-20 Dec 2009 1. Hargeisa Training Institute 2. HAVOYOCO 3.FAO 4.I LO 5. Save the Children Denmark 6.ANDP( Activist Network for Disabled People) 7.ICRA( Islamic Children Refugee Agency BORAMA 20-22 Dec 2009 8.AYODA (AfricaYouth Development Association 9.SOSTA( Somaliland Skills Training Association) 10 Dalphis Furniture Workshop Due to security constraints the following institutions which offer technical and vocational courses could not be visited: i. SIITCO(Scientific Institute and Information Technology College) ii. BVTC( Burao Vocational Training Centre) iii. Candlelight for Health Education and Environment, iv. GAVO NGO Berbera The meeting, which took place with Director of Non Formal Education (NFE) and other officials from the Ministry of Education in Puntland[4] to discuss the TVE, was very productive. The key issues like selection criteria for the trainers and trainees, adoption of standardized curriculum developed by UNESCO-PEER through out Puntland were discussed at length. It was apparent that the government was committed to getting the TVET Policy in place, it had commissioned Save the Children Denmark which had developed a TVET policy for Puntland and Somaliland and once established, future funding by donors would need to be channeled through the MOE for effective planning and quality control by the governments. A similar visit and discussion with the senior management of the Ministry of Education in Somaliland[5] covered the strategy, policy and future planning. Unlike in Puntland, the management of TVET was being managed within institutional framework. In the course of these visits and meetings with other stakeholders, I gained detailed prevailing knowledge about the TVET and Livelihood skills among other aspects of the TVET Outcome of Field Visits to Puntland and Somaliland.  · It was felt that the MOE officials need more capacity building before they can effectively handle or deliver.  · Similarly the VTC managers and trainers though very keen would benefit from additional training and upgrading courses.  · The VTCs need to be improved in every manner, from repairs of buildings to provision of training equipment.  · The trainee students particularly the girls are very keen to proceed with TVET and would like diploma and degree courses to begin as soon as possible.  · The UNESCO-PEER worked curriculum has been adopted by Somaliland with Puntland taking time to implement it due to various constraints. Trainees eager to learn new skills PART II 2 OVERVIEW OF THE MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY OF TVET 2.1 DEFINITION OF TVET AND BENEFICIARIES According to the Guidelines issued jointly by UNESCO and ILO and adopted by UNESCO General Conference at its 31 Session in 2001 and recommended for implementation by countries according to their socio-economic status, [6]TVET (Technical and vocational education and training) is defined accordingly as â€Å"a study of technologies and related sciences, and the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes related to occupation in various sectors of economic and social life.† It approaches the target beneficiaries to gain quality training which can bring stability and prosperity in their lives through income generation activities. In the Somalia context, the beneficiaries of training for occupational fields, alleviation of poverty and empowerment include; out of school youth due to drop out, demobilized soldiers, returnees, disabled persons, young adults of 18-24 years, girls and women heads of households whose husbands have either fled the country or killed in civil strive, refugees and secondary school leavers. These categories of Somali nationals benefit from interventions organized by international and local non governmental organizations, UN agencies and donor communities 2.2 INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TVET Organizationally, in both Somaliland and Puntland, TVET is regarded as part and parcel of Non Formal Education and is headed by a Director of Non Formal Education in the same way Formal Education is headed by a Director. It was not possible for me to establish whether similar arrangement exists in Central South Somalia. The TVET institutions in both Somaliland and Puntland are understaffed. Through National and Regional Councils for technical and vocational education training, the units are expected to: i) Plan and coordinate TVE Programmes, monitor supply and demand for goods and services, knowledge and skills in demand and approve new TVE Programmes, ii) Provide a sound financial framework in which TVE costs are shared among the government, industry, community and the trainees; iii) Establish a quality assurance mechanism that should enable the units to direct the following aspects of the TVET programme: Ø Quality admission criteria and standards which should be reviewed and evaluated periodically Ø Acceptable quality of curriculum and teaching materials Ø Acceptable ratio of teaching and training staff to learners Ø Staff qualifications Ø Physical facilities and layout Ø Quality and type of equipment Ø Trainee qualification requirement A theoretical organizational frame work is reflected in the organizational chart below Source; MINISTRY OF EDUCATION IN SOMALILAND[7] The units are constrained by the following factors: * Understaffing of the units makes implementation of the above functions difficult * Management and implementation of TVET is decentralized and left in the hands of various stakeholders including UN agencies, NGOs and Government institutions. The State Governments do not have the resources to run these institutions in an efficient manner. This state of affairs makes the management and control of standards difficult in a situation where implementation may be determined by donor interest. The institutions lack strategies for sustainability. 2.3 INTERVENTION STRATEGIES From the discussions held between me and the Ministries of Education, some UN agencies and international and local NGOs, the following intervention strategies in Somalia were mentioned:[8] Programme proposals are developed by UN agencies and other stakeholders and their viability discussed with the local authorities who sign letters of agreement with the stakeholders defining their respective responsibilities; Multi-sectoral approach, where organizations form themselves into a consortium to implement certain programme activities or UN agencies in strategic partnerships Area-based approach in which local administrators are beneficiaries and act as beneficiaries and implementing partners at the same time Specific capacity building activities with local institutions During the various meetings and discussions, it was observed that no home grown interventions initiated by local authorities and implemented jointly with willing donors. 2.4 TVET DELIVERY STRATEGIES The methods of delivery of TVE in Somaliland and Puntland are still predominantly either IBT, Institutional based training, through full time training in establishments or EBT, Enterprise based training, in business establishments. The main differences being as shown in the table below TABLE 3 COMPARISON OF IBT AND EBT TRAINING MODELS Centre-Based Training Mode Enterprise-Based Training Mode 1. Recruitment of Trainees 2. Training in theory, practical and entrepreneurship (6 Months) 3.Industrial attachment (2 months) and contracts 4.Assessment of skills and products 5.Centre-based Certification 1. Conducting Training needs assessment 2.Designing appropriate syllabus 3. Recruitment and selection of trainees 4. Identification recruitment of host trainers 5. Training (8 Months) 6. Work-based self employment programmes 7. Enterprise-Based Assessment and Certification Source: Summarized from discussions with training management Discussions with some stakeholders and previous studies by UNDP[9] cited the following constraints in the EBT mode of training * It takes too long to conduct needs assessment and design tailor made courses for enterprise-based training * Limited resources and lack of program sustainability on the part of EBT due high cost of machines * Conflict between trainee needs and customer needs, the latter tend to command priority * Limited training capacity in the both personnel and learning space by trainee While institutional based training organized on full time basis requires a lot of resources and may ensure quality training, EBT comes in handy due to tailor made course. Full time institutional training may lock out young adults and working populations that need to study part time. RECOMMENDATIONS I. As a matter of policy , it is recommended that training institutions and the governments in Somalia consider adopting flexible modes of delivery based on part time participation, involving work and training as follows: a) Day release system-in which workers attend an educational or training establishment for agreed period in a week b) Sandwich system where learners-alternate between educational institution and firm, factory or other establishment c) Block release workers are released to attend a specific programme for a specified period. d) Open and distance education programme by correspondence 1. Local authorities in Somalia should be actively involved in designing home grown projects that address local need. 2. The governments and other agencies should work closely with host trainers for better standard of training through financial and material support including training and certification personnel. 3. Due to possible conflict of interest, local personnel who are identified beneficiaries should not act as implementing partners at the same time. PART III 3.0 STUDY OF TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTRES In order to conduct a base line study of the institutions visited and those which were not visited, a questionnaire was used and covered the following aspects. There was another detailed questioner of 15 pages which was used to collect the data and was sent to Prof Kim for review Name of the institution Number of trainees enrolled in each course Number of instructors in each course Qualification of instructors in each course. Machines available Training aids available New trades in demand New training aids / machines required? Trainees ending the course The employment status of former trainees Water, Electricity, Toilets Overall environment of education within the institutions Political stability, law order and other conditions required for education The majority of TVET centres did not provide the information required partly due to the limited time available to me necessitating obtaining some of the information online. Most of the information requested was not available online from most of the TVET centres but it was possible to obtain the information in the table below on the trades offered in the following institutions; TABLE 3 TVET COURSES OFFERED TVET CENTRE YEAR FOUNDED OWNERSHIP TRADES OFFERED Havoyoco VTC 1998 NGO-Horn of Africa Voluntary Youth Committee formed in 1992 (Havoyoco) Centre- Based Vocational skills training in i) Woodwork (joinery and fitting) ii) Electricity iii) Metal work iv) Masonry v) Computer Studies vi) Garment making vii) Office Management Basic Literacy and Numeracy Enterprise-Based Vocational Training. Amoud Vocational Centre for Agricultural Technology and Environment (AVOCATE) 1998 Government- Ministry of Education i) General agriculture ii) Animal Husbandry iii) Food Processing iv) Marketing Burao Vocational Training Centre 1998 NGO-Candle Light for Health and Education (CLHE) i) Accounting ii) Computer Studies iii) Typing iv) Secretarial Studies v) Plumbing vi) Basic Literacy and Numeracy Berbera Port Vocational Training Centre 1996 Government-Port Authority/ UNDP Port Related Technical Skills i) Cargo handling equipment ii) Power supply and illumination iii) Diesel mechanic iv) Machinist course Other Technical courses i) Motor vehicle mechanic ii) Plumbing and pipe fitting/welding iii) Auto Mobile electrician course iv) General Electrician (house wiring) v) Woodwork vi) Computer hardware and maintenance Office-related Skills i) Secretarial Studies ii) Personnel Management iii) Business Accounting iv) Cost Accounting v) Business Management vi) Computer Applications Dan Dor Vocational Training Centre 2001 NGO-Dan Dor (Direct Aid to Nature Development Organization) i) Woodwork ii) Electricity iii) Metal work iv) Garment making v) Auto Mechanics Bossasso Port Training Centre 1996 Government in conjunction with Bossasso Port Authority i) Financial Accounting I ii) Financial Accounting II iii) Cost accounting II iv) Management Accounting v) Business Mathematics and Statistics vi) Business Law vii) Basic Economics IV viii) Computer Application ix) Management Principles Source: Information gathered from the field[10] The trades offered in the following established training centres are analyzed to illustrate vocational demand for some of the courses offered. TABLE 3.1 SKILLS OFFERED IN HARGEISA AND BOSSASO TECHNICAL INSTITUTES HARGEISA T I BOSSASSO TI Skills offered Skills requested Skills offered Skills requested Syllabuses developed by UNESCO Electricity Automobile repair training Electricity and cooling system Nursing and Midwifery Agriculture Plumbing Metal work fabrication Fisheries Beauty Saloon Basic Accounting II Carpentry Electronic equipment repair Plumbing Masonry Basic Accounting I Masonry Carpentry Computer Studies II Computer/IT painting and Art Computer Studies I Commerce Building and construction Carpentry and Joinery Secretarial Studies Electrical Installation Logistics and Storekeeping Garment Making ICT Hospitality Operations II Garment making Hospitality Operations Masonry Metal Fabrication Plumbing II Plumbing III Source: Data collected during the field visits UNESCO PEER developed syllabuses to meet demand but the following can be observed from this table: 1. According to the need of the market following subjects were developed in the two training institution not covered by UNESCO[11] a) Automobile repair b) Commerce c) Electricity and cooling system d) Fisheries e) Painting and Art 2. There is demand which has not been met in the following fields: a) Nursing and midwifery b) Beauty Salooning 3. In the UNESCO PEER study of 2002[12] demand was expressed for the following fields: a) Business adminstration b) Import Export management c) Vetrinary d) Well Engineering e) Salesmanship f) Natural resources management 4. Demand is determined by the following factors: a) Environment activity; pastorists need vetrinary services, communities near the sea and river valleys require fishing techniques and those in dry and arid areas require well engineering while farming communities will go for Agriculture. b) Skills in the market for formal employment c) Skills for self employment. d) Traditional trades such as carpentry, masonry,electrical installation and garment making seem to enjoy popularity but the new ones are yet to have a foothold in livelihood skills. 5. From the baseline study information received and discussions with stakeholders analyzed, the following situation still prevails in the Sub-sector: a) Somalia is fit for intervention in almost all fields of livelihood and skills development. The best way to intervene is through development of skills through TVET. This is the shortest way to both becoming self earning or getting a job opportunity. b) The TVET centres still lack qualified trainers, training equipment and text books in relevant TVET programmes Some of the available text books are still written in English and due to the low academic level of trainees, they cannot use books effectively while Somali translation versions do not exist c) The standard curriculum developed by UNESCO-PEER needs to be adopted in all VTCs in order to have a common syllabi. It will also help to determine a common grading system and the quality of the grading system will improve. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Planning for higher levels courses needs to be done for enhancing management, administrative and technical skills of the VTC managers and business executives by stakeholders. The following subjects which have been identified as creating skill gaps and which by their very nature should be used in regular full time training institutions be developed by UNESCO PEER which has accumulated experience in this area: a) Business Administration b) Import Export Management c) Veterinary d) Natural Resources Management e) Well Engineering f) Automobile repair g) Commerce h) Salesmanship 3. Issues related to management and inadequate facilities are taken up by institutional managers, who should develop master plans for these institutions with a view to making them sustainable. 4. TVET managers should work out a mechanism for getting some of the textbooks in specified courses translated to facilitate their use by trainees PART IV 4. INVOLVEMENT OF STAKEHOLDERS IN CAPACITY BUILING AND OTHER ACTIVITIES IN SOMALIA. A number of donor organizations, UN agencies and local and international non governmental organizations are active in supporting capacity building and other activities in Somalia. The information summarizes interventions and achievements. Some of the agencies may wish to partner with others for implementation of programmes. Due to time constraint, and insecurity mainly in Central south Somalia, this information was obtained partly online in order to ensure accuracy of what is reported. These activities for these organizations are summarized in the table below and reported in detail after the table. TABLE 4 ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN TVET IN SOMALIA ORGANIZATION PROGRAMME LOCATION TARGET GROUP RESULTS Present status UNDP Recovery and sustainable livelihood program- agriculture based skills CSS in middle Shabelle IDPS 3300 trained in Agriculture and book keeping skill 1350 are in gainful employment Consortium headed by SCD PETT Project Northern Somalia Youth, girls, women and other vulnerable groups 5500 trained in various vocatio Improving Youth Livelihood through Institutional Support Improving Youth Livelihood through Institutional Support Strengthening Technical, Vocational Education and Training Institutions for Improved Livelihood Skills ACRONYMS ANDP Activists Network for Disabled People AYODA Africa Youth Development Association CLHE Candle Light for Health and Education CSS Central and South Somalia DFID Department for International Development DRC Danish Refugee council DRP Disaster Recovery Plan EBT Enterprise- Based Training EC European Commission IAS International Aid Service ICRA Islamic Childrens Rescue agency IBT Institution Based Training IDPs Internally Displaced Persons IICO International Islamic Charitable Organization ILO International Labour Organization IOM International Office of Migration MOE Ministry of Education NFE Non Formal Education NGO Non-Governmental Organization PEER Regional Programme for Education in Emergencies PIDAM Puntland Institute of Development Administration and Management SCD Save the Children, Denmark SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SOSTA Somali Skills Training Association STEO Skills Training Employment Opportunity TVE Technical and Vocational Education TVET Technical and Vocational Education Training UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Childrens Fund VTC Vocational Training Centre WFL Water for Life WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organization US AID US Agency for International Development Fact Sheet Somalia[1] Somalia is situated in a place where most of the bordering countries are unstable except Kenya which has also observed post election violence in December 2007. It has border with Djibouti,Kenya, YemenandEthiopia. It has been in midst of a civil war since early nineties, the civil war has disrupted livestock breeding and agriculture which are the main stay of local economy. The major reason of civil war is due to the hidden interests of business community which is benefitting from the prevailing situation and other reason is clan based conflicts which are also at large. There are three main clans â€Å"Daroud, Hawaya and Issak â€Å".Somalia had an invasion from Ethiopian forces in December 2006 but now they have also evacuated but the fight is still going on between Al-Shabab and government forces. Puntland and Somaliland regions have declared themselves to be autonomous of the federal government at Mogadishu. Important statistics are as under: Area 637,667 sq km 246,201 sq miles, semi arid, 2% arable, 1.6% water Total irrigated land 2000 sq km in 2003 Population 9,558,666 (85th[2]) Density 13/sq km (198th) 100% population belongs to Sunni Muslim branch of Islam. GDP-PPP US $ 5.575 Billion (153rd) GDP Per Capita US $ 600 (222nd) Livestock and Agriculture 65 %, Industrial Sector 10% Services Sector 25 % Exports 65% Livestock, remaining fish, hides/leather frankincense (aromatic gum)) etc Foreign Remittances US $ 2 billion/year Internet usage increased 44900% from year 2000 to 2007, highest in Africa Urbanization 8% increase per year, one of the highest in Africa, currently 34 % population lives in cities. Literacy Male: 24%, Female : 36%, 14%, 22% of Somali children are enrolled in Primary schools[3] Executive Summary There had been number of stakeholders working in the field of TVET in Somalia resulting in different policies and guidelines given by the state governments, different organizations and donor agencies according to their own mandate. There was no uniform approach being followed by different organizations working in the field of income generation and TVET activities. I felt the need to have a standardized approach for better delivery in the TVET sector. An in-depth analysis was carried out on Overview of TVET management in Somalia, study of TVET institutions, Management model, a content analysis of UNESCO PEER assisted syllabuses and review of economic sectors and recommendations made after each part of this thesis report on each of these thesis components. , For this purpose I remained in Somalia from 12 Dec 2009 till 23 Dec 2009.Detailed meetings were held to discuss, evaluate and consolidate its finding after interaction with MOE officials, VTC managers, trainers, donors and experts from relevant technical and vocational education sectors. The thesis also discussed in detail valuable contribution made in the TVET field by other stakeholders in Somalia. The existing management system of VTCs was analyzed. A workable management model for a VTC has been worked out for uniform implementation. The TVET curriculum designed by UNESCO-PEER with the help of Italian Government has been recommended to all stakeholders to be adopted as standard syllabi for entire Somalia. Finally overall analyses of the TVET situation in Somalia have been carried out to give recommendations for best possible way for improvement in this field. The need to have overall coordination between all stakeholders for TVET has been highlighted to make any intervention meaningful and effective. It is expected that based on the thesis and the recommendations Somali Education Authorities and key implementation partners regarding the appropriate strategies to be implemented for addressing the most important areas in the field of TVET. PART I 1. BACKGROUND TO THE THESIS AND VISITS TO TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTRES 1.1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in conflict and post conflict areas is a critical component of the socio-economic development programmes as well as a fundamental component of reintegration. Acquisition of livelihood skills results in battling poverty and social exclusion in favour of self-employment. This helps to reduce unemployment, among marginalized population in conflict and post conflict countries. TVET acts for creation of skilled manpower that becomes self-employed and thereafter creates employment opportunities within their enterprises for others. It is within this framework that UNESCO PEER and other stakeholders like Diakonia and SCD has been implementing TVET projects in Somalia with the financial support of partners mainly the EC, SCIDA, Italian and Norwegian Governments. TVET curriculum/syllabi according to the market demand, training of centre managers, instructors and provision of support materials and textbooks to vocational training centres (V TCs) and initiation of standardized assessment and certification are examples of activities undertaken by UNESCO-PEER in Somalia. The syllabi and support materials so far developed have been popular with the users and a number of countries have shown interest to adapt them through the assistance of UNESCO-PEER. Prior to the civil war that culminated in the collapse of the government in 1991, Somalia had functioning technical and vocational institutions in Mogadishu, Merka, Biadoa, Galkayo, Wajid, Kismayu, Bossaso, Burao and Hargeisa that specialized in a range of technical courses and traditional trades at craft and artisan levels. These courses were properly managed by government and the youth joined these institutions and specialized in various courses that enabled them to earn a living. Most of these institutions were, however destroyed or run down during the civil war period. Consequently, the youth who dropped out of school or were never enrolled in schools at all, found themselves helpless without any livelihood skills. This problem was aggravated by returnees who also had no skills. The Ministries of Education in Puntland, Somaliland and Central South Somalia in collaboration with international agencies have played significant rolls in catering for the training needs of the youth and other vulnerable groups. 1.2 PURPOSE The main purpose is to identify and propose the best options in terms of training of youth for improving their livelihood skills through institutional development and income generation activities. The needs assessment of the VTCs was carried out to propose new skills according to the market demand. 1.3 OBJECTIVES i. To review the current approach to delivery of TVET and provide policy advice; ii. Conduct baseline study; iii. To Conduct needs assessment and skills gap analysis; iv. Review existing syllabuses developed by various stakeholders v. To study the management of the one Technical and Vocational Education Centre and on the basis of the findings recommend, the model to be applied to other TVET institutions. 1.4. SCOPE I planned to cover the whole of Somalia for my thesis but due to insecurity in the Central South Somalia, I was not cleared to go there. The research took place in the Puntland State of Somalia (PSS) and Somaliland. The research targeted the Non Formal and technical and vocational Education sub-sector using the IDPS, Refugees, Returnees, pastoral communities and ex militia as research subjects. 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE i. It will act as a catalyst for streamlining the TVET sector in Somalia. ii. The need to have better understanding of the ground realities was brought out in the study for better decision making. iii. The requirement to have a coordinated strategy in TVET field has been highlighted. Better coordination between various stakeholders will contribute to optimum utilization of available resources. iv. Will act for capacity building of MOE, VTCs and other stakeholders. 1.6. METHODOLOGY A number of meetings and visits were held with different stakeholders, NGOs and UN agencies working in the field of TVET. This was done in close collaboration with the Somali Ministries of Education at various levels, and other stakeholders involved in Vocational Education. Vocational Training Centers were visited and interaction was carried with their managers, students and trainers to find out their potential, weaknesses and requirement for upgrading and other Livelihood Skills opportunities An assessment of the job market was carried out to find out the livelihood skills required in Somalia. 1.7 VISITS TO TRAINING CENTRES AND MEETINGS WITH STAKE HOLDERS Site visits were arranged by the field staff of UNESCO PEER in consultation with the Ministries of Education in both Somaliland and Puntland. My movement was however, hampered by the adverse security environment, making it difficult to visit such places as Galkayo, in Puntland and Berbera and Burao in Somaliland. Movement in Central South Somalia remained restricted. Site visits were conducted in Bossasso, Hargeisa and Borama as shown in the table below; VISITS AND MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDERS REGION PLACE DATES INSTITUTIONS VISITED GAROWE 13-15 Dec 2009 Ministry of Education Garowe VTC PUNTLAND BOSSASSO 16-18 Dec 2009 1. PIDAM- Puntland Institute of Development, Administration and Management 2. Dan Door VTC 3. Bossasso College of Health Sciences 4.East Africa Fishing Factory, Tannery, Radio and Electronic repair shops 5. Telecommunications offices 6. Puntland Hospital SOMALILAND HARGEISA 18-20 Dec 2009 1. Hargeisa Training Institute 2. HAVOYOCO 3.FAO 4.I LO 5. Save the Children Denmark 6.ANDP( Activist Network for Disabled People) 7.ICRA( Islamic Children Refugee Agency BORAMA 20-22 Dec 2009 8.AYODA (AfricaYouth Development Association 9.SOSTA( Somaliland Skills Training Association) 10 Dalphis Furniture Workshop Due to security constraints the following institutions which offer technical and vocational courses could not be visited: i. SIITCO(Scientific Institute and Information Technology College) ii. BVTC( Burao Vocational Training Centre) iii. Candlelight for Health Education and Environment, iv. GAVO NGO Berbera The meeting, which took place with Director of Non Formal Education (NFE) and other officials from the Ministry of Education in Puntland[4] to discuss the TVE, was very productive. The key issues like selection criteria for the trainers and trainees, adoption of standardized curriculum developed by UNESCO-PEER through out Puntland were discussed at length. It was apparent that the government was committed to getting the TVET Policy in place, it had commissioned Save the Children Denmark which had developed a TVET policy for Puntland and Somaliland and once established, future funding by donors would need to be channeled through the MOE for effective planning and quality control by the governments. A similar visit and discussion with the senior management of the Ministry of Education in Somaliland[5] covered the strategy, policy and future planning. Unlike in Puntland, the management of TVET was being managed within institutional framework. In the course of these visits and meetings with other stakeholders, I gained detailed prevailing knowledge about the TVET and Livelihood skills among other aspects of the TVET Outcome of Field Visits to Puntland and Somaliland.  · It was felt that the MOE officials need more capacity building before they can effectively handle or deliver.  · Similarly the VTC managers and trainers though very keen would benefit from additional training and upgrading courses.  · The VTCs need to be improved in every manner, from repairs of buildings to provision of training equipment.  · The trainee students particularly the girls are very keen to proceed with TVET and would like diploma and degree courses to begin as soon as possible.  · The UNESCO-PEER worked curriculum has been adopted by Somaliland with Puntland taking time to implement it due to various constraints. Trainees eager to learn new skills PART II 2 OVERVIEW OF THE MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY OF TVET 2.1 DEFINITION OF TVET AND BENEFICIARIES According to the Guidelines issued jointly by UNESCO and ILO and adopted by UNESCO General Conference at its 31 Session in 2001 and recommended for implementation by countries according to their socio-economic status, [6]TVET (Technical and vocational education and training) is defined accordingly as â€Å"a study of technologies and related sciences, and the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes related to occupation in various sectors of economic and social life.† It approaches the target beneficiaries to gain quality training which can bring stability and prosperity in their lives through income generation activities. In the Somalia context, the beneficiaries of training for occupational fields, alleviation of poverty and empowerment include; out of school youth due to drop out, demobilized soldiers, returnees, disabled persons, young adults of 18-24 years, girls and women heads of households whose husbands have either fled the country or killed in civil strive, refugees and secondary school leavers. These categories of Somali nationals benefit from interventions organized by international and local non governmental organizations, UN agencies and donor communities 2.2 INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TVET Organizationally, in both Somaliland and Puntland, TVET is regarded as part and parcel of Non Formal Education and is headed by a Director of Non Formal Education in the same way Formal Education is headed by a Director. It was not possible for me to establish whether similar arrangement exists in Central South Somalia. The TVET institutions in both Somaliland and Puntland are understaffed. Through National and Regional Councils for technical and vocational education training, the units are expected to: i) Plan and coordinate TVE Programmes, monitor supply and demand for goods and services, knowledge and skills in demand and approve new TVE Programmes, ii) Provide a sound financial framework in which TVE costs are shared among the government, industry, community and the trainees; iii) Establish a quality assurance mechanism that should enable the units to direct the following aspects of the TVET programme: Ø Quality admission criteria and standards which should be reviewed and evaluated periodically Ø Acceptable quality of curriculum and teaching materials Ø Acceptable ratio of teaching and training staff to learners Ø Staff qualifications Ø Physical facilities and layout Ø Quality and type of equipment Ø Trainee qualification requirement A theoretical organizational frame work is reflected in the organizational chart below Source; MINISTRY OF EDUCATION IN SOMALILAND[7] The units are constrained by the following factors: * Understaffing of the units makes implementation of the above functions difficult * Management and implementation of TVET is decentralized and left in the hands of various stakeholders including UN agencies, NGOs and Government institutions. The State Governments do not have the resources to run these institutions in an efficient manner. This state of affairs makes the management and control of standards difficult in a situation where implementation may be determined by donor interest. The institutions lack strategies for sustainability. 2.3 INTERVENTION STRATEGIES From the discussions held between me and the Ministries of Education, some UN agencies and international and local NGOs, the following intervention strategies in Somalia were mentioned:[8] Programme proposals are developed by UN agencies and other stakeholders and their viability discussed with the local authorities who sign letters of agreement with the stakeholders defining their respective responsibilities; Multi-sectoral approach, where organizations form themselves into a consortium to implement certain programme activities or UN agencies in strategic partnerships Area-based approach in which local administrators are beneficiaries and act as beneficiaries and implementing partners at the same time Specific capacity building activities with local institutions During the various meetings and discussions, it was observed that no home grown interventions initiated by local authorities and implemented jointly with willing donors. 2.4 TVET DELIVERY STRATEGIES The methods of delivery of TVE in Somaliland and Puntland are still predominantly either IBT, Institutional based training, through full time training in establishments or EBT, Enterprise based training, in business establishments. The main differences being as shown in the table below TABLE 3 COMPARISON OF IBT AND EBT TRAINING MODELS Centre-Based Training Mode Enterprise-Based Training Mode 1. Recruitment of Trainees 2. Training in theory, practical and entrepreneurship (6 Months) 3.Industrial attachment (2 months) and contracts 4.Assessment of skills and products 5.Centre-based Certification 1. Conducting Training needs assessment 2.Designing appropriate syllabus 3. Recruitment and selection of trainees 4. Identification recruitment of host trainers 5. Training (8 Months) 6. Work-based self employment programmes 7. Enterprise-Based Assessment and Certification Source: Summarized from discussions with training management Discussions with some stakeholders and previous studies by UNDP[9] cited the following constraints in the EBT mode of training * It takes too long to conduct needs assessment and design tailor made courses for enterprise-based training * Limited resources and lack of program sustainability on the part of EBT due high cost of machines * Conflict between trainee needs and customer needs, the latter tend to command priority * Limited training capacity in the both personnel and learning space by trainee While institutional based training organized on full time basis requires a lot of resources and may ensure quality training, EBT comes in handy due to tailor made course. Full time institutional training may lock out young adults and working populations that need to study part time. RECOMMENDATIONS I. As a matter of policy , it is recommended that training institutions and the governments in Somalia consider adopting flexible modes of delivery based on part time participation, involving work and training as follows: a) Day release system-in which workers attend an educational or training establishment for agreed period in a week b) Sandwich system where learners-alternate between educational institution and firm, factory or other establishment c) Block release workers are released to attend a specific programme for a specified period. d) Open and distance education programme by correspondence 1. Local authorities in Somalia should be actively involved in designing home grown projects that address local need. 2. The governments and other agencies should work closely with host trainers for better standard of training through financial and material support including training and certification personnel. 3. Due to possible conflict of interest, local personnel who are identified beneficiaries should not act as implementing partners at the same time. PART III 3.0 STUDY OF TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTRES In order to conduct a base line study of the institutions visited and those which were not visited, a questionnaire was used and covered the following aspects. There was another detailed questioner of 15 pages which was used to collect the data and was sent to Prof Kim for review Name of the institution Number of trainees enrolled in each course Number of instructors in each course Qualification of instructors in each course. Machines available Training aids available New trades in demand New training aids / machines required? Trainees ending the course The employment status of former trainees Water, Electricity, Toilets Overall environment of education within the institutions Political stability, law order and other conditions required for education The majority of TVET centres did not provide the information required partly due to the limited time available to me necessitating obtaining some of the information online. Most of the information requested was not available online from most of the TVET centres but it was possible to obtain the information in the table below on the trades offered in the following institutions; TABLE 3 TVET COURSES OFFERED TVET CENTRE YEAR FOUNDED OWNERSHIP TRADES OFFERED Havoyoco VTC 1998 NGO-Horn of Africa Voluntary Youth Committee formed in 1992 (Havoyoco) Centre- Based Vocational skills training in i) Woodwork (joinery and fitting) ii) Electricity iii) Metal work iv) Masonry v) Computer Studies vi) Garment making vii) Office Management Basic Literacy and Numeracy Enterprise-Based Vocational Training. Amoud Vocational Centre for Agricultural Technology and Environment (AVOCATE) 1998 Government- Ministry of Education i) General agriculture ii) Animal Husbandry iii) Food Processing iv) Marketing Burao Vocational Training Centre 1998 NGO-Candle Light for Health and Education (CLHE) i) Accounting ii) Computer Studies iii) Typing iv) Secretarial Studies v) Plumbing vi) Basic Literacy and Numeracy Berbera Port Vocational Training Centre 1996 Government-Port Authority/ UNDP Port Related Technical Skills i) Cargo handling equipment ii) Power supply and illumination iii) Diesel mechanic iv) Machinist course Other Technical courses i) Motor vehicle mechanic ii) Plumbing and pipe fitting/welding iii) Auto Mobile electrician course iv) General Electrician (house wiring) v) Woodwork vi) Computer hardware and maintenance Office-related Skills i) Secretarial Studies ii) Personnel Management iii) Business Accounting iv) Cost Accounting v) Business Management vi) Computer Applications Dan Dor Vocational Training Centre 2001 NGO-Dan Dor (Direct Aid to Nature Development Organization) i) Woodwork ii) Electricity iii) Metal work iv) Garment making v) Auto Mechanics Bossasso Port Training Centre 1996 Government in conjunction with Bossasso Port Authority i) Financial Accounting I ii) Financial Accounting II iii) Cost accounting II iv) Management Accounting v) Business Mathematics and Statistics vi) Business Law vii) Basic Economics IV viii) Computer Application ix) Management Principles Source: Information gathered from the field[10] The trades offered in the following established training centres are analyzed to illustrate vocational demand for some of the courses offered. TABLE 3.1 SKILLS OFFERED IN HARGEISA AND BOSSASO TECHNICAL INSTITUTES HARGEISA T I BOSSASSO TI Skills offered Skills requested Skills offered Skills requested Syllabuses developed by UNESCO Electricity Automobile repair training Electricity and cooling system Nursing and Midwifery Agriculture Plumbing Metal work fabrication Fisheries Beauty Saloon Basic Accounting II Carpentry Electronic equipment repair Plumbing Masonry Basic Accounting I Masonry Carpentry Computer Studies II Computer/IT painting and Art Computer Studies I Commerce Building and construction Carpentry and Joinery Secretarial Studies Electrical Installation Logistics and Storekeeping Garment Making ICT Hospitality Operations II Garment making Hospitality Operations Masonry Metal Fabrication Plumbing II Plumbing III Source: Data collected during the field visits UNESCO PEER developed syllabuses to meet demand but the following can be observed from this table: 1. According to the need of the market following subjects were developed in the two training institution not covered by UNESCO[11] a) Automobile repair b) Commerce c) Electricity and cooling system d) Fisheries e) Painting and Art 2. There is demand which has not been met in the following fields: a) Nursing and midwifery b) Beauty Salooning 3. In the UNESCO PEER study of 2002[12] demand was expressed for the following fields: a) Business adminstration b) Import Export management c) Vetrinary d) Well Engineering e) Salesmanship f) Natural resources management 4. Demand is determined by the following factors: a) Environment activity; pastorists need vetrinary services, communities near the sea and river valleys require fishing techniques and those in dry and arid areas require well engineering while farming communities will go for Agriculture. b) Skills in the market for formal employment c) Skills for self employment. d) Traditional trades such as carpentry, masonry,electrical installation and garment making seem to enjoy popularity but the new ones are yet to have a foothold in livelihood skills. 5. From the baseline study information received and discussions with stakeholders analyzed, the following situation still prevails in the Sub-sector: a) Somalia is fit for intervention in almost all fields of livelihood and skills development. The best way to intervene is through development of skills through TVET. This is the shortest way to both becoming self earning or getting a job opportunity. b) The TVET centres still lack qualified trainers, training equipment and text books in relevant TVET programmes Some of the available text books are still written in English and due to the low academic level of trainees, they cannot use books effectively while Somali translation versions do not exist c) The standard curriculum developed by UNESCO-PEER needs to be adopted in all VTCs in order to have a common syllabi. It will also help to determine a common grading system and the quality of the grading system will improve. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Planning for higher levels courses needs to be done for enhancing management, administrative and technical skills of the VTC managers and business executives by stakeholders. The following subjects which have been identified as creating skill gaps and which by their very nature should be used in regular full time training institutions be developed by UNESCO PEER which has accumulated experience in this area: a) Business Administration b) Import Export Management c) Veterinary d) Natural Resources Management e) Well Engineering f) Automobile repair g) Commerce h) Salesmanship 3. Issues related to management and inadequate facilities are taken up by institutional managers, who should develop master plans for these institutions with a view to making them sustainable. 4. TVET managers should work out a mechanism for getting some of the textbooks in specified courses translated to facilitate their use by trainees PART IV 4. INVOLVEMENT OF STAKEHOLDERS IN CAPACITY BUILING AND OTHER ACTIVITIES IN SOMALIA. A number of donor organizations, UN agencies and local and international non governmental organizations are active in supporting capacity building and other activities in Somalia. The information summarizes interventions and achievements. Some of the agencies may wish to partner with others for implementation of programmes. Due to time constraint, and insecurity mainly in Central south Somalia, this information was obtained partly online in order to ensure accuracy of what is reported. These activities for these organizations are summarized in the table below and reported in detail after the table. TABLE 4 ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN TVET IN SOMALIA ORGANIZATION PROGRAMME LOCATION TARGET GROUP RESULTS Present status UNDP Recovery and sustainable livelihood program- agriculture based skills CSS in middle Shabelle IDPS 3300 trained in Agriculture and book keeping skill 1350 are in gainful employment Consortium headed by SCD PETT Project Northern Somalia Youth, girls, women and other vulnerable groups 5500 trained in various vocatio