The Tea Leaf Vision Centre for Professional Development

 

A partnership project between Tea Leaf Trust and World Vision Lanka

 

       

 

   

          

 

 

Background

Providing an educational centre that enables the youth of tea pickers to access education that enables them to find employment away from manual labour is the main aim of the Tea Leaf Trust.

Whilst the Tea Leaf Trust partner with World Vision, Sri Lanka, with the centre, all the courses run from here are secular. We welcome all ethnicities and faiths, to promote and develop understanding as well as upstanding citizens and leaders of the future.

One-Year Professional Development Training Course at the Tea Leaf Vision Centre for Professional Development

Our free One-Year Professional Development Training Course takes motivated individuals who have low level English and I.T. skills (mainly tea estate youth), and develops them into confident, ethical and employable adults, who become sought after by local and national companies. Underpinning our curriculum is an ethic of cohesion, mutual respect and community social responsibility.

Beacon Hill Academy, an established higher education centre in Nuwara Eliya have allowed us full access to their successful curriculum as they have a very similar mandate. Using their syllabus as a basis of our curriculum, we have been able to tailor subjects to the needs and ability of our students.

Who does this one year course target?

Unemployed young people between the ages of 18 and 24 who can commit to one-year of full-time study.

All ethnic/ religious groups, male and female.

Programme timetable

The one-year, full-time course began in January 2010 and has the capacity to teach 120 students. Currently we have 110 students enrolled on the full-time one-year diploma.

Curriculum outline

The course teaches a number of subjects to develop students into employable individuals for business

• English Speech and Pronunciation

Increasing confidence, ability and professionalism in the use of English

• English Grammar and Writing

Increasing confidence and legibility in the use of the written word

• Business studies

Increasing awareness of and aptitude in the structure of different departments within companies, developing the ability to understand how to work within a company, increasing the way a student presents themselves in the work arena, with an emphasis on culture, tradition and respect

• Information Technology (I.T.)

Increasing computer and keyboard skills, ensuring proficiency in Microsoft Office and Photoshop   

• Emotional Health
  

A programme designed to tackle the rafter of social issues on tea estates to help our students manage their anger and self harming habits, feelings of hopelessness, depression and despair

• Success and Ethics

Providing our students with the practical skills to deal with issues prevalent in the hill country i.e alcoholism, domestic violence, gender inequality and gender-based violence, and suicide