OREANDA-NEWS. November 03, 2015. A total of 47 teachers from 5 construction training centers graduated today from a Diploma II program in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering conducted by Indonesia’s State Polytechnic in Malang, (POLINEMA). 

The teacher training was carried out as part of the Mid-Level Skills Training Project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Timor-Leste.
  
“The vocational teacher training was conducted in Timor-Leste through a series of carefully designed modules by POLINEMA, instead of sending teachers overseas to upgrade their teaching skills,” said Sunhwa Lee, Principal Social Development Specialist in ADB’s Pacific Department. “This innovative program for training teachers may serve as a new model for future teacher training in Timor-Leste.” 

POLINEMA is recognized in Southeast Asia as a respected technical institution and training provider for engineering programs. The Diploma II courses were specially designed with a mixture of group learning, on-site training, and independent courses to allow participating teachers to continue their teaching duties, while upgrading their own skills at the same time. 

The training participants included the country’s entire teaching staff from five accredited construction training centers: Tibar Training Center; SENAI-Becora; Don Bosco-Comoro; Claret Training Center-Salele; and Dili Institute of Technology-Baucau. The Diploma II program was offered to teachers on a scholarship basis, on condition that participants would continue teaching at their designated training center for a minimum of four years to ensure the center benefits from the investment in their teachers.

This enhanced teacher training is expected to give young Timorese better access to quality construction skills and should boost their employment prospects. Results of the training have been immediate—the country’s first-ever certificate 3 construction courses have begun at the Tibar and SENAI-Becora training centers.  

The Mid-Level Skills Training Project, financed by a \\$12 million Asian Development Fund grant from ADB and a \\$1 million contribution from the Government of Timor-Leste, is supporting selected training providers with upgrades to their facilities to introduce mid-level competency-based skills training. The project aims to boost the numbers of skilled male and female Timorese in the high demand construction industry.
 
“The training has increased my skills and the course was a good mixture of theory and practical work,” said construction teacher and course participant, Domingos Maria Jose. “I look forward to applying this knowledge at my training center.”

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. In 2014, ADB assistance totaled \\$USD22.9 billion, including cofinancing of \\$USD9.2 billion.