Cross-Border Vocational Education in Badakhshan Phase II (CVEB II)

The program aims to foster cross-border cooperation and job creation between Afghan Badakhshan and GBAO, Tajikistan, through the provision of training that responds to the needs of the labor market. The program has three specific objectives: to further increase the capacity of SPCE to deliver relevant and high-quality training to learners in the region, to increase access to short cycle education by administering a scholarship program for Afghans and Tajiks to take SPCE courses in Khorog, Tajikistan, and to increase the quality of the labor market by focusing on future trainers. The project is implemented by the University of Central Asia (UCA) in Khorog, Tajikistan, and aims to further the work of educational and workforce development in Central Asia by providing a range of training and professional development opportunities to young people and adults in flexible learning formats. During the reporting period, SPCE resumed program implementation after a ten-week delay caused by the military events in Khorog in July 2012. Thirty-one beginner level students returned to campus to finish their ICDL and English courses, and nine new students arrived on campus to start the English for Academic Purposes and Microsoft Office Specialist programs, and to resume the Accounting Technology Certificate program. The number of students in Afghan programs includes replacements from GBAO. The program also made significant progress in increasing the capacity of SPCE to deliver relevant and high-quality training to learners in the region. The SPCE Faizabad Project Office Manager attended the final semester of the post-graduate course on Sustainable Rural Development from December 12th – 20th, 2012, and the Student Service Officer attended a training session on using and managing SPCE's student database in Dushanbe from December 4th – 7th. The program also administered a scholarship program for Afghans and Tajiks to take SPCE courses in Khorog, Tajikistan. A total of 84 scholarships were awarded to Afghans and Tajiks, with 25 Afghans receiving scholarships for basic level, 17 Afghans receiving scholarships for advanced level, 20 Afghans receiving scholarships for second time, 14 Tajiks receiving scholarships for basic and advanced level, and 8 Tajiks receiving scholarships as replacements for Afghans. In addition to the academic programs, CVEB students took part in academic and cultural activities. CVEB learners participated in English clubs with Chris Meoli, an English Language Fellow placed at SPCE Khorog, and CVEB students participated in a Thanksgiving Day performance at the American Corner in Khorog. The program also made significant progress in increasing the quality of the labor market by focusing on future trainers. The program provided training to future trainers, including the SPCE Faizabad Project Office Manager and the Student Service Officer, to increase their capacity to deliver high-quality training to learners in the region. The program's budget for the reporting period was $669,800, with a total project budget of $1,023,250. The program's estimated expenditures for the next quarter are $86,970. The program's cumulative accrued expenditures to date are $315,471, and the program's obligations to date are $272,077.