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Vocational and Technological Education Network

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Psalm 9:18

The poor and needy in the world can improve their quality of life by gaining appropriate vocational or technological skills, which will give them the opportunity to secure adequate living wages. However, appropriate, accessible, and affordable vocational and technological education services are most often not available to these people. Development strategies and practices of many countries quite often ignore the needs of the poor in their own country.

Grace Network Ministries has established network contacts with concerned leaders in Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago, and the U.S.A. They have expressed their desire to develop job skills training services in specific communities in their country. In response to this identified need V-TEN is created as a network service to achieve the following mission.

Mission:

Support the development of appropriate, accessible, and affordable vocational and technological educational services globally through the networking and sharing of available education and related resources.

Strategy:

On Easter Sunday this year Grace Network Ministries drafted the concept, and is now working with Western Seminary and Marshall Christensen Foundation to develop the concept into an operating plan. Three major ministry areas were identified:

1. The training of people in vocational and technological skills.
2. The training of trainers teaching the people.
3. The funding of scholarships for the trainers of trainers.

The following strategy of development is proposed:

1. Establish an international base of support.
2. Establish for each country operation a multi-denominational ministry team.
3. Design maximum adaptability in educational services involving various levels of technology, ranging from low level appropriate technology to scientifically advanced technology.
4. Provide various levels of educational services, including semi-academic, undergraduate and post-graduate education.
5. Provide various forms of educational service deliveries, including traditional trade school, field practicum, and short-term workshop.
6. Develop in-country capability of services to minimize foreign country dependency.
7. Maximize the use of internet communication globally in the planning and implementation of services.

Partner Agencies and Ministry Teams:

V-TEN network ministry expects each partner agency to continue implementing its ministry as determined by its mission, strategy and operating plan. A partner agency voluntarily may share of its resources to achieve the mission and purpose of the network ministry. Agencies may join a V-TEN Team to plan and implement a V-TEN educational service in a specific country and location.

Service Opportunities:

As this program statement is being updated today, a V-TEN Nigeria Team is preparing the Curriculum Design and the Feasibility Study for a V-TEN school in Imo State, Nigeria. This curriculum will serve as a master plan from which other related country opportunities will be developed.

The following is the list of service opportunities identified.

Honduras: Job skills training in housing construction in 20 some villages by Grace Network Ministries, Proyecto Aldea Global and Mountain Valley Homes LLC.

Indonesia: Appropriate technology skills training for Punan Dayak adults in West Kalimantan by Grace Network Ministries, Harvest International Theological Seminary, Indonesian Missionary Fellowship and Conservative Baptist Church Mission.

Kenya: Job skills training for AIDS-orphaned high school students by Grace Network Ministries, VIVA Network and the Africa Region of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries and VIVA Network.

Nigeria: Job skills training in computer technology, water and sanitation & primary health care, appropriate technology skills, housing construction, and food & animal production in Southeastern Nigeria by Grace Network Ministries, Solid Rock International, Relief Network Ministries, Shekina Charities, Owerri Foursquare Gospel Church, Total Care Ministries, and several others in the pipeline. The Anglican Diocese of Owerri is working on adopting the V-TEN concept in their vocational training programs to empower it's members.

Surinam: Job skills training in housing construction and agriculture for the Javanese community of 80,000 by Indonesian Full Gospel Churches in Paramaribo, Surinam and Orlando, Florida and Grace Network Ministries.

Trinidad and Tobago: Job skills training in housing construction for very low income people in Port of Spain by Grace Network Ministries and Mountain Valley Homes LLC.

USA, Arizona: Job skills training in housing construction for Navajo adults in Arizona by Grace Network Ministries, CHIEF Inc., and Mountain Valley Homes LLC.

USA, Oregon: ESL and job skills training for Hispanics by Hispanos Para Cristo, Rose City Church of the Nazarene and Grace Network Ministries.

USA, Oregon: The academic and practical preparation of trainers of vocational and technological skill trainers at the graduate level by Western Seminary, IICC and Marshall Christensen Foundation.

 USA, Oregon: The V-TEN curriculum designed in Computer Technology & Introduction to the Internet has been initiated at All Nations Church in League as a service to the community in job retraining and back to work programs. The program will collaborate with the Texas Workforce Commission to assisted unemployed and unskilled workers get back into the job market by getting them retrained.

Network Contact List:

The following is a list of potential network partner agencies. Some have already expressed their readiness to serve, or are already collaborating with us.

References:

1. Darkenfeld, Gordon G., and Sharan B. Merriam, Adult Education, Foundations of Practice, New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1982.

2. Finch, Curtis R. and John R. Crunkilton, Curriculum Development in Vocational and Technical Education, Planning, Content, and Implementation, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1998.

3. Giachino, Joseph William and Ralph Ora Gallington, Course Construction in Industrial Arts, Vocational and Technical Education, American Technical Publishers, 1977.

4. Knowles, Malcolm S., The Modern Practice of Adult Education, From Pedagogy to Andragogy, Chicago: Associated Press, Follett Publishing Company, 1980.

5. Scott, John and Michelle Sarkees-Wircenski, Overview of Vocational and Applied Technology Education, American Technical Publishers, 1996.

6. TOOL Foundation, tool.tis@tool.nl

7. VITA Internet Library, www.vita.org.

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Last modified: March 22, 2006