Annual Report 2014

Training in rural areas

THE FIRST GRADUATES OF THE BASIC VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMME ADAPTED TO THE RURAL ENVIRONMENT TRAINING IN RURAL AREAS

ObjeCtives • To provide high-quality education to those leaving primary education in the Clara area • To develop a proposal for secondary level education according to environmental needs, interests and conditions • To strengthen support for the rural environment

This is the first generation of young people to complete secondary education—equivalent to the basic curriculum—in the rural area of Clara. This public-private educational offer is a milestone in the history of UTU and is being replicated in other rural communities. On Friday 5 December the first generation of students graduated from the Basic Vocational Training Proposal, adapted to the rural environment in Clara in the Tacuarembó department. This is an educational solution for children and adolescents in the area who are unable to move to a larger town to continue their training in secondary education after completing primary education. One of the 20 students who graduated from the programme, José Pedro Liendo, tells us that at the age of 24 he did not expect to complete secondary

education. “It’s great that today, at 24 years of age, they accepted me and I have completed the basic curriculum. I am proud to have studied in the countryside”, emphasises Liendo, who is also grateful for the support received from his peers and teachers. “I am glad to have received support from everyone, friends and teachers”, says Liendo with passion. The knowledge acquired in the carpentry area and the support from the teachers allowed him to change his job from a temporary labourer to working on a rural carpentry project in Clara. Crates for bees, wooden gates and cattle grids are some of the products he expects to be able to commercialize shortly. Altough he has already started working, he still expects some support to acquire machinery, “we are doing some jobs, such as fixing or manufacturing furniture”, explains Liendo.

Graduates 7

Years of duration 5

Organizations 5

44 2014 ANNUAL REPORT