Vocational
and Technological Education Network
For
the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not
perish forever. Psalm 9:18
The poor and
needy in the world can improve their quality of life by gaining appropriate
vocational or technological skills, which will give them the opportunity to
secure adequate living wages. However, appropriate, accessible, and affordable
vocational and technological education services are most often not available to
these people. Development strategies and practices of many countries quite often
ignore the needs of the poor in their own country.
Grace
Network Ministries has established network contacts with concerned leaders in
Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago, and the U.S.A. They
have expressed their desire to develop job skills training services in specific
communities in their country. In response to this identified need V-TEN is
created as a network service to achieve the following mission.
Mission:
Support
the development of appropriate, accessible, and affordable vocational and
technological educational services globally through the networking and sharing
of available education and related resources.
Strategy:
On Easter
Sunday this year Grace Network Ministries drafted the concept, and is now
working with Western Seminary and Marshall Christensen Foundation to develop the
concept into an operating plan. Three major ministry areas were identified:
- The training of people in
vocational and technological skills.
- The training of trainers
teaching the people.
- The funding of scholarships for the mentors & teachers of the trainers.
The
following strategy of development is proposed:
- Establish an
international base of support.
- Establish for each
country operation a multi-denominational ministry team.
- Design maximum
adaptability in educational services involving various levels of technology,
ranging from low level appropriate technology to scientifically advanced
technology.
- Provide various levels of
educational services, including semi-academic, undergraduate and
post-graduate education.
- Provide various forms of
educational service deliveries, including traditional trade school, field
practicum, and short-term workshop.
- Develop in-country
capability of services to minimize foreign country dependency.
- Maximize the use of
internet communication globally in the planning and implementation of
services.
Partner
Agencies and Ministry Teams:
V-TEN
network ministry expects each partner agency to continue implementing its
ministry as determined by its mission, strategy and operating plan. A partner
agency voluntarily may share of its resources to achieve the mission and purpose
of the network ministry. Agencies may join a V-TEN Team to plan and implement a
V-TEN educational service in a specific country and location.
Service
Opportunities:
The
program statement is being updated as needed. A V-TEN Nigeria Team has prepared the Curriculum Design and done some Feasibility Study for a V-TEN school in Imo / Abia States, Nigeria. This curriculum will serve as a master plan from which other related country opportunities will be developed, and hopefully what is learned from Nigeria can be applied elsewhere in Africa starting from neighboring Ghana.The
following is the list of service opportunities identified.
Nigeria:
Job skills training in computer technology, water and sanitation & primary
health care, appropriate technology skills, housing construction, and food &
animal production in Southeastern Nigeria by Grace Network Ministries, Solid
Rock International, Relief Network Ministries, Shekina Charities, Owerri
Foursquare Gospel Church, Total Care Ministries, and several others in the
pipeline. The Anglican Diocese of Owerri is working on adopting the V-TEN
concept in their vocational training programs to empower it's members.
Honduras:
Job skills training in housing construction in 20 some villages by Grace Network
Ministries, Proyecto Aldea Global and Mountain Valley Homes LLC.
Indonesia:
Appropriate technology skills training for Punan Dayak adults in West Kalimantan
by Grace Network Ministries, Harvest International Theological Seminary,
Indonesian Missionary Fellowship and Conservative Baptist Church Mission.
Kenya:
Job skills training for AIDS-orphaned high school students by Grace Network
Ministries, VIVA Network and the Africa Region of Nazarene Compassionate
Ministries and VIVA Network.
Ghana
: Job skills training in computer technology, water and sanitation & primary health care, appropriate technology skills, housing construction, and food & animal production in South Western Region of Ghana by Relief Network Ministries, Solid Rock International, APF / Living Water Ministries, Inc., Total Care Ministries, and several others in the pipeline. The Living Flames Baptist Church in Takoradi is working on adopting the V-TEN concept in the new vocational training center program it is jointly setting up with RNM, Inc. to empower it's members and their community at large.Surinam:
Job skills training in housing construction and agriculture for the Javanese
community of 80,000 by Indonesian Full Gospel Churches in Paramaribo, Surinam
and Orlando, Florida and Grace Network Ministries.
Trinidad
and Tobago: Job skills training in housing construction for very low income
people in Port of Spain by Grace Network Ministries and Mountain Valley Homes
LLC.
USA,
Arizona: Job skills training in housing construction for Navajo adults in
Arizona by Grace Network Ministries, CHIEF Inc., and Mountain Valley Homes LLC.
USA,
Oregon: ESL and job skills training for Hispanics by Hispanos Para Cristo,
Rose City Church of the Nazarene and Grace Network Ministries.
USA,
Oregon: The academic and practical preparation of trainers of vocational and
technological skill trainers at the graduate level by Western Seminary, IICC and
Marshall Christensen Foundation.
USA, Texas: The V-TEN curriculum designed in Computer Technology & Introduction to the Internet has been initiated at All Nations Church in Dickinson, Texas as a service to the community in job retraining and back to work programs. The program will collaborate with the Texas Workforce Commission to assisted unemployed and unskilled workers get back into the job market by getting them retrained.
Network
Contact List:
The
following is a list of potential network partner agencies. Some have already
expressed their readiness to serve, or are already collaborating with us.
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Accrediting
Association of Bible Colleges, Orlando, FL |
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Appropriate
Technology Institute, Marion, NC |
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Business and
Professional Network, Portland, OR |
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C.H.I.E.F.,
Inc, Phoenix, AZ |
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Clackamas
Community College, Oregon City, OR |
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CUME NW,
Portland, OR |
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ECHO, North
Fort Myers, FL |
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Forward Edge
International, Vancouver, WA |
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Foursquare
Gospel Church, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria |
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Good
Shepherd Church, Boring, OR. |
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Grace
Network Ministries, Virginia Beach, VA and Portland, OR |
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Harvest
International Theological Seminary, Jakarta, Indonesia |
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Habitat for
Humanity, Americus, GA |
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HEART
Missionary Institute, Lake Wales, FL |
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Heritage
College, Toppenish, WA |
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Hispanos
Para Cristo, Portland, OR |
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Intermediate
Technology Development Group, London, UK |
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International
Full Gospel Church Fellowship, Orlando, FL and Paramaribo, Surinam |
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International
Institute of Christian Communication, Portland, OR |
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ITT
Technical Institute, Portland, OR. |
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Kazak-American
College, Kazakstan |
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Kiwanis,
Portland, OR. |
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Le Tourneau
College |
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Marshall
Christensen Foundation, Sandy, OR |
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Mercy Corps
International, Portland, OR |
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Mount Hood
Community College, Gresham, OR |
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Mountain
Valley Homes LLC, Portland, OR |
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Northwest
Medical Teams, Portland, OR |
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Northwest
Technical Institute, Portland, OR |
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Oregon
Institute of Technology, Portland, OR |
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Portland
Community College, Portland, OR |
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Proyecto
Aldea Global, Tegucigalpa, Honduras |
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Relief
Network Ministries, Houston, TX |
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Rose City
Church of the Nazarene, Portland, OR |
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Rotary Club,
Portland, OR |
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Servants,
Incorporated, Portland, OR |
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Shekinah
Charities, New York, NY |
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Solar
Cookers International, Bend, OR |
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Solid Rock
International, Houston, TX |
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All Nations Church, League City, TX |
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| NASSAU Bay Baptist Church, Nassua Bay, TX |
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| Institute for African Awareness, Houston, TX |
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TOOL,
Amsterdam, Netherlands |
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Total Care Ministries, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria |
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Anglican Diocese of Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria |
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Ogberuru Development Association, New Orleans, USA |
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Imo
State Government of Nigeria |
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Jesus
Brethren Ministries, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria |
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VITA,
Arlington, VA |
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VIVA
Network, UK |
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Western
Seminary, Portland, OR |
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Women of
Purpose, Sherwood, OR |
References:
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Darkenfeld, Gordon G., and Sharan B. Merriam, Adult Education, Foundations of Practice, New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1982.
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Finch, Curtis R. and John R. Crunkilton, Curriculum Development in Vocational and Technical Education, Planning, Content, and Implementation, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1998.
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Giachino, Joseph William and Ralph Ora Gallington, Course Construction in Industrial Arts, Vocational and Technical Education, American Technical Publishers, 1977.
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Knowles, Malcolm S., The Modern Practice of Adult Education, From Pedagogy to Andragogy, Chicago: Associated Press, Follett Publishing Company, 1980.
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Scott, John and Michelle Sarkees-Wircenski, Overview of Vocational and Applied Technology Education, American Technical Publishers, 1996.
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TOOL Foundation, tool.tis@tool.nl
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VITA Internet Library, www.vita.org.