Technical educationFoundation of industrial progress [Archives:2004/700/Culture]

Ismail Al-Ghabiri
It is of no doubt that building a modern state requires first the building of human resources prior to anything else, for a qualified person is the asset on which any country would build on and use for facing and fighting all kinds of backwardness and negativity. This is deeply understood by the industrial countries which invest in training and qualifying human resources through scientific and education and training. Drawing complete far-sighted and well-founded plans is the only way through which countries utilize their resources best.
Big industrialized countries invested in technical and vocational education, especially the socialist countries when they trained their people on many trades through which the people returned their knowledge to the country through labor and progress. This way through very short span of time countries took giant leaps in the development run whereas the third world countries remained in debt and struggling to survive. Instead these countries criticized and looked down upon such technical education although actually it is what industries are built upon.
Vocational training in all aspects was what progressed countries today depended on in the past in order to achieve their economic independence. The national media in those countries encouraged and brought to attention the importance of being independent for example agricultural wise so it encouraged farming and producing crops and other agricultural products, it also encouraged small industries and the handicrafts or technical trades. Today these countries have well trained and expertise human resources that are self-reliant and in fact export to the rest of the world. In the same time the national media in developing countries did not realize the significant of such trades and people who became mechanics, electricians, plumbers, and other similar jobs were neglected and looked down upon by the society. This way the third world countries remained in need for even the simplest of goods becoming increasingly dependent on the more developed countries.
Not only did the developed countries care for the vocational training of its people they also simultaneously provided all requirements for the people to learn. They built institutions and training centers, provided jobs and even provided markets through which those people could implement their knowledge. It included vocational training in its infrastructure and gave space and encouragement for talents and creativity. This does not mean that all the people worked in such trades but it means that these countries created a balance in which the community complemented each other in all aspects.
What is happening in our country is that although there are a number of vocational and technical training centers (although quite limited in capacity and training) yet it happens that the graduates are depressed and jobless. The cycle is incomplete because if those capacities are not utilized then the training is wasted and actually nothing is done except increasing the unemployment rate.
Yemen is a country rich with natural resources and intelligent man power. There is still a chance to build on these assets and with some planning and true will for development the country can break away from its misery loop and join the caravan of advancing countries.
The government is demanded to use statistics, to conduct studies and find out accurate information to build on it its plans. Once the information is available then good planning must take place and opportunities for people to learn and work must be created. Taking care of the technical and vocational training is the first step to building our economy and helping ourselves.
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