The Tea Leaf Vision Centre for Professional Development

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.

In the summer of 2009, the Tea Leaf Trust started looking for both an area within the tea growing region of Sri Lanka, and a building for our main project.

World Vision is the largest humanitarian iNGO working in Sri Lanka and has a wealth of experience in the needs of the tea communities. They were out in contact with the Tea Leaf Trust by Beacon Hill Academy (see 'who we work with' for further information about Beacon Hill Academy. World Vision, Sri Lanka, has been working closely with the most remote and isolated communities within the tea-growing region, where unemployment is highest and opportunities are limited to the few generational low-waged jobs available. Maskeliya, a remote town surrounded by Tea Estates and rural farmland was identified as one of the most deprived in the tea-growing region of Sri Lanka by World Vision, following a thorough needs analysis of the villages and estates of the Central Province.

As a result of talks with World Vision, Sri Lanka, and their promise of co-operation, it was decided that Maskeliya was to be the home of the Tea Leaf Trust's main project.

The Tea Leaf Trust, with the help of World Vision, signed a 3-year lease for a disused wedding hall just outside Maskeliya town in November 2009. With your generous donations, coupled with money from fundraising events, this two-story wedding hall has been renovated and converted into The Tea Leaf Vision Centre for Professional Development. Thanks to large donations from both the Lions Club of Oswestry and the Rotary Club of Oswestry, we have a fully equipped I.T. suite (Lions) and the start of a fantastic library, housing over 300 fact and fiction books (Rotary Club of Oswestry).

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

Over the course of 2009, we researched curriculums for our Free One-Year Professional Development Training Course. The aim of this course was, and is, to take motivated individuals who have low level English and I.T. skills, and develop 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.

Over the course of 2009, we researched curriculums for our Free One-Year Professional Development Training Course. The aim of this course was, and is, to take motivated individuals who have low level English and I.T. skills, and develop them into confident, ethical and employable adults, who become sought after by local and national companies. Underpinning our curriculum will is an ethic of cohesion, mutual respect and community social responsibility.

Beacon Hill Academy, an established higher education centre in Nuwara Eliya was extremely helpful and allowed us full access to their 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.

Young people from remote areas surrounding Maskeliya and Hatton, who are unable to find sustainable employment options due to a lack of professional office and English skills.

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

We identify students with the ability and commitment to succeed on the one-year course through strict application criteria. We also consult with various organisations familiar with the skills of the age group intended for training.

Programme timetable

The one-year, full-time course began in January 2010 and has the capacity to teach 120 students. Currently we have 104 students enrolled on the full-time one-year diploma, with a further 10 students whose English is not of the right standard attending a full-time intensive English programme. The course follows the Sri Lankan academic year. The school day begins at 8:45am and concludes at 2.45pm not including extra-curricular activities. The early finishing time is to make sure that those travelling far distances by bus get home at a safe hour and that they actually get a bus, as many routes are unreliable after 3pm. Homework is set daily and the expectations and workload are high, as it is a challenging task to help students achieve their potential in such a short time frame.

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   

  • Basic Health Awareness
Nutrition, exercise, common diseases and treatments, mental health issues, first aid

  • 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