1,000 vocational scholarships to be offered to Nicaraguan youth

By Gretchen Robleto

August 11, 2016

“For young people, relevant training is crucial for them to face and overcome inequalities in the labor market and have positive life trajectories.”

Rose Mary Garcia, Director, Aprendo y Emprendo

BLUEFIELDS, Nicaragua — Vocational training scholarships and other technical training support provided by the Aprendo y Emprendo project will bring new opportunities for youth from the multiethnic Caribbean Coast region.

Speaking at the project launch on Aug. 9, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua, Marta C. Youth, said the 1,000 scholarships for young people from the Caribbean Coast are one key component of a project that seeks to meet the needs of at-risk Nicaraguan youth.

“Young people today have a clear vision of their future: they want quality education, aspire to a dignified and remunerative employment, professional development and to form their own family,” she said at the Bluefields House of Culture. “To help realize this dream is a task for each and every one of us today to form a prosperous future for our nations.”

The four-year Technical Vocational Education and Training Strengthening for At-Risk Youth project, known in Spanish as Aprendo y Emprendo (“I Learn, I Start” in English) aims to expand opportunities for technical training and entrepreneurship for people ages 14 to 29 from the Caribbean Coast.

It achieves these goals through four main components: forming networks among training centers, companies and organizations working with at-risk young people; improving vocational training centers’ ability to serve at-risk youth and adapt curriculum to the labor market demand; raising awareness to improving public perceptions of technical courses; and providing the 1,000 scholarships for young people from the Caribbean Coast.

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Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua, Marta C. Youth, said that working to support young people to fulfill their aspirations will lead to a more prosperous future. Photo by Gretchen Robleto.

The $9.8 million project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by Creative Associates International.

For many youth from the Caribbean coast, workforce skills and steady, fulfilling employment can be a pathway to a more prosperous life.

“For young people, relevant training is crucial for them to face and overcome inequalities in the labor market and have positive life trajectories,” said Rose Mary Garcia, Director of the project.

Aprendo y Emprendo works in partnership with the private sector, which helps secure internships for youth, create jobs and support self-employment opportunities for young people. These partnerships are key to the project’s success, according to Marta C. Youth.

“By joining multiple efforts and through mutual collaboration and learning, we will help forge a successful tomorrow for our youth,” she said.

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