Development of a Sustainable Income Generation Model for Vocational College
There are many options for income generation for vocational college. Vocational school also known as trade school is a school where students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job. These schools are usually the best way for an adult to reenter the labor market. Programs such as the Work Incentive Program in the USA encourage adults currently in welfare to take classes so they can learn new skills which they can utilize to find new jobs.
Traditionally vocational schools offered training in careers that require practical expertise. This includes specific trades such as welding, blacksmithing, or mechanics, or more general education geared to the retail or beauty industry. Now more vocational schools are offering courses to cover information technology and the tourism industry. Other careers that are typical at a vocational school include plumbing, electricity, carpentry, professional lock smithing, floral designer, and motorcycle repair technician, medical transcription and medical insurance clerk, home inspection, professional bridal consultant, veterinary assistant, and hotel/restaurant management. Of course the choice of courses differs from country to country.
A big concern of vocational schools is generating income. Many of these schools rely on governmental subsidies and more oftentimes than not the moneys allocated to them keep on getting cut. The following are some examples of sustainable income generation models for vocational colleges from all over the world.
Paraguay:
A vocational school in Paraguay was facing financial problems. Their school relied heavily on government subsidies which had a massive cutback. After paying the salaries of the teachers, there was very little money left to pay for school equipment. Enter Fundacion Paraguaya which helped the school set up small-scale on-campus enterprises. The enterprises taught the students to learn technical and business skills in a hands-on method and at the same time it helped the school generate income to pay for their expenses. The combination of these skills allowed the students to graduate with skills they need to succeed working for organizations or as self-employed entrepreneurs. San Francisco School has now been generating over 0,000 in income through a range of sustainable income generation initiatives, and has been able to cover 100% of its operating costs including depreciation each year since 2007. The school takes no government money, and now needs to charge virtually no fees to provide a first class education to students from some of the poorest communities in the country. (School Enterprise Challenge)
Kenya:
Ondati Secondary School for Girls was established as Kenya’s first 100% financially self sufficient agricultural school for girls, providing 60 girls of age 11 to 22 accesses to a high quality, relevant education each year. The school’s agricultural activities are used as a platform for teaching entrepreneurial and environmentally sustainable land management to both the students and the surrounding community. All students are able to demonstrate a real understanding of both the theoretical and practical principles behind running a successful natural resource based business. Girls are empowered to achieve greater success and a wider range of life choices – setting up their own businesses, finding employment or further education. (School Enterprise Challenge)
There are several companies which offer their services to schools to help create models to establish and become self-sufficient schools. One of these companies is Teach A Man to Fish. Where the schools provide the students the skills, Teach a Man to Fish brings in the means for the students to make and sell their products or services. They work on the adage of “Education that pays for itself”. This company firmly believes that this is the way to build a strong institution that creates economically successful graduates. (Teach a Man to Fish)
Some charity organizations like Beads for Education whose mission is to improve the status of women in Kenya through girls’ education and women’s business development. The charity was founded in 1993 by Debby Rooney and Lisa Stevens. In the beginning their focus was to sell beadwork of the Dupoto Women’s Group in the USA so they can generate some money to send their daughters to school. Now Beads Sponsors pay the school fees of over 300 girls at 3 different schools in Kenya and they are now being used as a model for similar programs elsewhere in the country. (Beads for Education) These women have helped the women in Kenya to turn their beautiful crafts into something they could sell for self-sufficiency.
References:
Beads for Education. Women’s Beading Groups. (n.d) Retrieved 20 May, 2011 from http://www.beadsforeducation.org/womensBeadingGroups.html
School Enterprise Challenge International. (n.b) Retrieved 20 May, 2011 from http://www.schoolenterprisechallenge.org/examples.php
Self-Sufficient Schools- A new Paradigm. Teach a Man to Fish. Retrieved 20 May, 2011 from http://www.teachamantofish.org.uk/selfsufficientschools.php
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