Caribbean and Latin American Scholarship Program in El Salvador : the impact of the CAPS and CLASP-II projects

For the most part, the projects have had a significant impact on the life of each participant. Trainees have generally been very satisfied with most aspects of training. All three training components (i.e., skill development, leadership training, and Experience America) have been implemented with apparent success by educational institutions contracted in the United States. One of the projects' greatest strengths has been their provision of training to socially and economically disadvantaged Salvadorans. All the end-of-project status (EOPS) indicators have been satisfactorily met, with the exception of the indicator for returned trainees' awareness of U.S. culture. This could be due to methodological biases in the evaluation; some forms of ongoing interest in the United States were not measured, e.g., interest displayed through activities such as listening to the radio or watching television. One of the most important accomplishments of USAID/ES has been its ability to learn from the past and continuously improve the design and implementation of the CAPS/CLASP-II projects. Improvements include the following. (1) In all CAPS/CLASP training programs since 1991, intermediary institutions nominate candidates; trainees report that they feel the selection process is fair, objective, and efficient. (2) Experience America has become an integral part of technical and academic training, complementing and reinforcing what trainees learn in the classroom. (3) Leadership training encompasses formal lectures, visits to municipal governments, attendance at community meetings, and participatory, experiential learning. In the latter, trainees are asked to select their own leaders, and to solve problems as a group. (4) Predeparture orientations range from 3 weeks for short-term programs to 2 months for long-term programs. Orientation includes lectures on American culture, the training course, and general characteristics and expectations of the program, as well as training in basic English. (5) Since 1989, USAID/ES has made arrangements for program coordinators from U.S. training institutions to make fact-finding visits to El Salvador, so that they can design their training program in accordance with the levels of technology of El Salvador. (6) CLASP-II has been built on the lessons learned from CAPS and represents a departure from CAPS in at least three important dimensions: the leadership component is emphasized in CLASP-II design, though not at the expense of technical training; greater importance is placed on what trainees can give back to their communities; and follow-on is seen as a fundamental component. (Author abstract, modified)