South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Cooperation and Development Review Meeting. Building Capacity: English Language Instruction MEW's (Ministry of Energy and Water's) Vocational Training Center:Rept. for Dec 05-Mar 06

摘要

Afghanistan's Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) is struggling to improve the reliability and availability of its electricity infrastructure. These efforts are exacerbated by a lack of skill sets needed for routine operations and maintenance. The Vocational Training Center (VTC) is the primary instructional resource for MEW serving two purposes: (1) technical high school; and, (2) professional development courses for MEW staff. As part of a multiple pronged effort, USAID/Afghanistan, USAID/SARI/E, and the MEW are collaborating to rebuild the instructional capacity of the VTC. Within this effort and in preparation for additional technical assistance, English language instruction was provided for the 60 instructors and management of the VTC. In developing this effort, language comprehension was assessed, objectives were established, course content was developed, course materials were selected, the language teachers (Afghans that teach English for a living) were interviewed and selected, and the VTC instructors and staff were placed, according to their current competency in the language, in one of three courses: basic, intermediate, and conversational. The three courses met six days a week, two hours per day from December 2005 through March 2006 and totaled four hundred and thirty-eight instructional hours.