Technical Vocational Education and Training Strengthening for At-Risk Youth (TVET SAY) Proyecto Aprendo y Emprendo FY 2018 Quarter 1 Report

The project goal is to improve security in the Caribbean Coast by providing youth with educational opportunities linked to jobs and livelihoods through strengthened educational centers that can educate youth in areas where there is a market demand. The TVET SAY project has four components with the following objectives: improve collaboration and information sharing among centers by establishing or strengthening a network of training centers, strengthen private TVET centers to be "model" institutions, increase interest and perceived value of TVET programs through public awareness campaigns, and increase socioeconomic gains for at-risk youth from the Caribbean Coast while enabling safer environments. Component 1: TVET Network Development focuses on strengthening the Nicaraguan Network of Technical Education (RENET) to facilitate ongoing dialogue among technical education centers, the private sector, and civil society organizations. In FY2018 Q1, RENET finalized its 2018-2021 Strategic Plan and 2018 Operational Plan, both of which include financial sustainability as a key element. RENET also continued its work refining policy proposals to improve the legal and political frameworks of vocational training and technical education, internships, and youth employment in Nicaragua. Component 2: Capacity Building of Private TVET Centers provides technical assistance to TVET centers based on their OCAT results, supporting their strategies for sustainable resource generation, M&E systems development, gender policy development, and development of soft skills teaching methodologies. In mid-December, 77 participants were enrolled in the second module of the virtual diploma, which focused on Youth Development and Inclusion. TVET SAY also provided the TVET centers with technical assistance supporting implementation of their sustainability strategies and finalized an agreement with Banpro to provide financial education to at least 150 youth in the Caribbean Coast. Component 3: Public Perceptions of TVETs aims to improve perceptions of TVETs and increase interest in TVET programs through a multilingual media and youth engagement campaign. The campaign engages youth, families, the private sector, and communities, fostering youth agency through positive identity reinforcement. TVET SAY has continued to expand its presence in social media channels, with almost 7,000 fans on Facebook receiving positive messaging about the value of technical education. In Q1 of FY2018, Youth Advisory Council members held three training sessions focused on capacity building as well as community events, including a hackathon with over 100 youth participants. Component 4: Scholarship and Employment Support in the Caribbean Coast provides follow-up to a total of 241 scholarship recipients from the South and North Caribbean Coasts. 32.8% of scholarship awardees self-identified as ethnic minorities. In collaboration with the TVET centers, the project held events that promoted entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology for at-risk youth. As a result of TVET-SAY's engagement with the private sector, at-risk youth from Corn Island and Little Corn Island were certified by the National Chamber of Tourism in the "Service Best" course. Finally, three youth from the South Caribbean Coast represented Nicaragua for the first time at the World Robotics Olympiads in Costa Rica.