Training for the Future

CARD’s Azerbaijan Vocational Training Programme, has been developed to meet some of the many needs we have come across while working in orphanages and amongst vulnerable people in Azerbaijan. We are particularly committed to the process of deinstitutionalization and supporting vulnerable people to become integrated in main-stream society with every opportunity to lead full lives.

CARD’s Vocational Training Programme centres around a house renovated for vocational training in the city of Ganja, Azerbaijan. Children and young adults between the ages of 12 and 20 are supported and trained in a number of practical skills, including computing, carpentry, spoken English, cooking and traditional carpet making.

All the students come from disadvantaged backgrounds including, Internally Displaced People as a result of the Negorno Karabah conflict, refugees, children with disabilities, orphans, and those from very poor families. Many of these children have been unable to attend school or have left at an early age. This means they are very unlikely to be employed and have a chance to break out of the poverty cycle.

We currently have 85 students and plan to increase to more than 100 students attending our courses at the vocational centre, giving them training opportunities and advice on future studies. For those children who have the opportunity to continue their local school education we run classes after school and provide study areas and support to enable them to do well at school. For many of our students this is the first opportunity to receive some sort of education.

Further training opportunities include business principles and job placements. We aim to work with businesses to offer students attending our courses scholarships, apprenticeships and work experience.

Another part of the Azerbaijan Vocational Training Programme is a purpose built computer centre in the Genja Children’s home, encouraging the young vulnerable children in this institution by providing focused computer training and skills. We hope that graduates of this programme will attend the Vocational Training Centre and have full access to the wide range of Vocational training on offer.

Our Azerbaijan Vocational Training Programme also seeks to enable other groups to run similar projects around Azerbaijan. We offer training and support for another vocational training centre in a second region of Azerbaijan and support the work of other groups providing vocational training for children in orphanages in Baku.