Student Partnership Program
The Vissot industry is the result of an ad hoc student support and mentoring program with limited financial support. Despite its limitations, the student program brought benefits to many students and has helped to inspire young people. Jomnin would like to take ideas developed from this program to help Healthland manage a more structured student support and training program.
Please watch the video below and then read about the concept for a student partnership program that Jomnin is supporting.
Please watch the video below and then read about the concept for a student partnership program that Jomnin is supporting.
Video: You can see some of the former students on the Vissot Facebook page by clicking this video
|
Concept for Developing the Student Partnership Program
Context
- Cambodia exports mostly raw produce, thus losing out on enormous potential profits
- Valuable land is often wasted on producing exported animal feed.
- Bright young university graduates have few role models and mentors to train them in product development and manufacturing.
- Food technicians often work in water purification plants where they gain little experience other than testing water quality in a laboratory.
- Marketing graduates end up promoting products for large international companies (such as tobacco and alcohol) instead of promoting local products.
- Other students end up working in the myriad of NGO’s instead of working in business and industry. They learn how to spend money instead of how to make money. They don’t learn the discipline required to make competitive products or services.
- Much of the labour force is used to produce clothes in large international garment factories under poor conditions. The raw materials are imported and the clothes are exported at very competitive prices. Most of the profits go overseas.
- Students are the future of the nation and they are hungering to learn. They are innovators and full of energy.
How can we help them?
- Cambodia exports mostly raw produce, thus losing out on enormous potential profits
- Valuable land is often wasted on producing exported animal feed.
- Bright young university graduates have few role models and mentors to train them in product development and manufacturing.
- Food technicians often work in water purification plants where they gain little experience other than testing water quality in a laboratory.
- Marketing graduates end up promoting products for large international companies (such as tobacco and alcohol) instead of promoting local products.
- Other students end up working in the myriad of NGO’s instead of working in business and industry. They learn how to spend money instead of how to make money. They don’t learn the discipline required to make competitive products or services.
- Much of the labour force is used to produce clothes in large international garment factories under poor conditions. The raw materials are imported and the clothes are exported at very competitive prices. Most of the profits go overseas.
- Students are the future of the nation and they are hungering to learn. They are innovators and full of energy.
How can we help them?
A Brief Description of the Proposed Student Partnership Program
In this program students would be employed part-time to work in the Vissot industry with the aim of helping both male and female young people who want to study but are restricted because of financial difficulties. Of course more affluent students would not be excluded because the ultimate aim is to train students to eventually give back to the community.
- Vissot would provide training and support for their studies. The students would give back to the industry through work, ideas and future employment.
- Students would work in a team to help add value to local produce by developing marketable products.
- Students would be encouraged to develop their own initiatives and supported to research and develop their own product ideas (as long as they fit within the existing structure and scope of the company)
- Students would help to manage the whole process
- Mentors would spend time with the students to develop their skills (mentors might include experienced full-time employees in the organisation as well as experts that visit the industry and spend time with students)
- Healthland would provide short training courses such as food safety training, management skills, etc
- Some students may be sent to study short courses relevant to their training.
- Students would be provided with a one hour English class four times a week.
- Students would spend one hour in a motivational class each week to provide encouragement and inspiration to achieve their dreams.
- If required, students would be provided with loans to help pay for their studies and would pay back the loans either from their salary each week or after they finish study and start work.
- The length of training and the type of training would be flexible and would depend on the student’s situation. Some students may just want work experience to fulfil the requirements of their university studies. Some may want to be part of the program from the beginning of a four- year degree to the end. Some students may want to learn English, others may value the mentoring or the experience working in the industry. Some students may primarily need income to support their way through study. The partnership would need to be flexible to suit the needs of each individual student.
- Vissot would be provided with the necessary resources and equipment to give a rich experience for the students.
There would be set budgets for the industry.
- A research and development budget
- A budget for setting up new production lines
- A budget to launch and market new products
- A staff training budget
- Vissot/Healthland would also be provided with training funds for providing training for the students: preparing short courses, salaries for trainers and covering the costs of experts/mentors spending time in the industry (can partner with AusAid and other organisations to help with this – mentoring programs, etc).
- Salaries for the students would be built into the budgets
In this program students would be employed part-time to work in the Vissot industry with the aim of helping both male and female young people who want to study but are restricted because of financial difficulties. Of course more affluent students would not be excluded because the ultimate aim is to train students to eventually give back to the community.
- Vissot would provide training and support for their studies. The students would give back to the industry through work, ideas and future employment.
- Students would work in a team to help add value to local produce by developing marketable products.
- Students would be encouraged to develop their own initiatives and supported to research and develop their own product ideas (as long as they fit within the existing structure and scope of the company)
- Students would help to manage the whole process
- Mentors would spend time with the students to develop their skills (mentors might include experienced full-time employees in the organisation as well as experts that visit the industry and spend time with students)
- Healthland would provide short training courses such as food safety training, management skills, etc
- Some students may be sent to study short courses relevant to their training.
- Students would be provided with a one hour English class four times a week.
- Students would spend one hour in a motivational class each week to provide encouragement and inspiration to achieve their dreams.
- If required, students would be provided with loans to help pay for their studies and would pay back the loans either from their salary each week or after they finish study and start work.
- The length of training and the type of training would be flexible and would depend on the student’s situation. Some students may just want work experience to fulfil the requirements of their university studies. Some may want to be part of the program from the beginning of a four- year degree to the end. Some students may want to learn English, others may value the mentoring or the experience working in the industry. Some students may primarily need income to support their way through study. The partnership would need to be flexible to suit the needs of each individual student.
- Vissot would be provided with the necessary resources and equipment to give a rich experience for the students.
There would be set budgets for the industry.
- A research and development budget
- A budget for setting up new production lines
- A budget to launch and market new products
- A staff training budget
- Vissot/Healthland would also be provided with training funds for providing training for the students: preparing short courses, salaries for trainers and covering the costs of experts/mentors spending time in the industry (can partner with AusAid and other organisations to help with this – mentoring programs, etc).
- Salaries for the students would be built into the budgets
Objectives of the Project
The goal will be to support students financially while providing a rich learning experience to supplement their formal studies. The skills learned could be applied to any work environment in any sector with the outcome that graduates are more employable and have more vision for what can be achieved.
Their professional skills, experience and education would be given back to the community to help local businesses and industries to be successful.
Another important aim would be to develop a model of learning that could be applied to any work environment in any sector.
The outcome would be graduates who are more employable, more confident and have more vision for what can be achieved in the food manufacturing sector (and in other sectors - many students would end up working in other sectors, but the training would still provide the foundation and inspiration to equip them with needed skills.
The graduates would give back to the community by using their professional skills, experience and education to help local businesses and industries to be successful.
The goal will be to support students financially while providing a rich learning experience to supplement their formal studies. The skills learned could be applied to any work environment in any sector with the outcome that graduates are more employable and have more vision for what can be achieved.
Their professional skills, experience and education would be given back to the community to help local businesses and industries to be successful.
Another important aim would be to develop a model of learning that could be applied to any work environment in any sector.
The outcome would be graduates who are more employable, more confident and have more vision for what can be achieved in the food manufacturing sector (and in other sectors - many students would end up working in other sectors, but the training would still provide the foundation and inspiration to equip them with needed skills.
The graduates would give back to the community by using their professional skills, experience and education to help local businesses and industries to be successful.
Sustainability
This project oozes with sustainability. The program supports students through their education and then they become future mentors to train others. Along the way, they help to develop ideas and products that help the industry (the one giving them the training) to become more profitable.
The project should not be a burden on the Vissot industry or drain its resources. It should help to build the capacity of the industry (new products, potential future employees, etc).
The more food industry is developed in Cambodia, the more lobbying power the food manufacturing sector will have to influence the government to provide the environment and security needed. Training and inspiring students to be involved with business will help to achieve this.
The Vissot industry is the result of a similar student support and mentoring program (although a more adhoc program with limited financial support). These ideas have been developed and tried over a period of 15 years and found to work. This project will build on these successful ideas and strengthen and fine-tune them, adding a bit more structure and financial security to help ensure a successful and sustainable long-term project.
Funds injected into the project will help to develop products that will generate more income for the organisation.
Student financial support will be paid back to provide on-going training for future students.
Trained graduates will help to provide mentoring and training for future trainees.
The floors above the mini-factory can be used for training purposes and for developing more ideas for student partnerships (such as providing work experience and training in the health/medical professions).
This project oozes with sustainability. The program supports students through their education and then they become future mentors to train others. Along the way, they help to develop ideas and products that help the industry (the one giving them the training) to become more profitable.
The project should not be a burden on the Vissot industry or drain its resources. It should help to build the capacity of the industry (new products, potential future employees, etc).
The more food industry is developed in Cambodia, the more lobbying power the food manufacturing sector will have to influence the government to provide the environment and security needed. Training and inspiring students to be involved with business will help to achieve this.
The Vissot industry is the result of a similar student support and mentoring program (although a more adhoc program with limited financial support). These ideas have been developed and tried over a period of 15 years and found to work. This project will build on these successful ideas and strengthen and fine-tune them, adding a bit more structure and financial security to help ensure a successful and sustainable long-term project.
Funds injected into the project will help to develop products that will generate more income for the organisation.
Student financial support will be paid back to provide on-going training for future students.
Trained graduates will help to provide mentoring and training for future trainees.
The floors above the mini-factory can be used for training purposes and for developing more ideas for student partnerships (such as providing work experience and training in the health/medical professions).
Financial Analysis
Annual cost to support and train 10 students:
- Informal training (students get to try out their own product ideas and market them with the help of mentors and advisors): $21000
- Formal training & mentoring: US$7000
- Student loans: US$8000
TOTAL BUDGET FOR ONE YEAR: US$37000 ($300/student per month)
Annual cost to support and train 10 students:
- Informal training (students get to try out their own product ideas and market them with the help of mentors and advisors): $21000
- Formal training & mentoring: US$7000
- Student loans: US$8000
TOTAL BUDGET FOR ONE YEAR: US$37000 ($300/student per month)