Institutional strengthening of SENA (Colombia)

Since 2008 TBI coordinates the NPT project “Training in environmental management and sustainable production chains” with the National Training Service (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje - SENA) in Colombia. The SENA offers and executes vocational training for the social and technical development of the Colombian workers.

Project objective

The project (2008-2011) aims to strengthen the capacities of SENA to attune their nationwide capacity building activities to the needs of indigenous and Afro-Colombians in the Pacific Coast, the Amazon and Casanare in a way that respects the specific environmental, cultural and organizational contexts of these groups.

At the end of the project SENA will have instructors who are able to interact in multi-cultural contexts, new training programmes and didactic methods that match the characteristics, needs and potentials of the ethnic groups of each region.

The project offers an excellent opportunity to make TBI Colombia’s expertise and understanding about traditional knowledge and developing culturally sensitive collaborative programmes with indigenous people available through a much larger institute operating on a national scale.

Specific Objectives:

SENA has trained instructors and teachers to offer training to local communities adapted to their environment, culture and organization
SENA has educational programmes adapted to local communities
SENA has an institutional strategy on capacity building of local communities

Methodological strategies of the project

A large variety of actions, all with particular attention to cultural diversity
Recognition of traditional knowledge in relation with natural resource management
Learning by doing: support to the trainers during practical work and with the documentation of experiences
Support from different backgrounds
Research in the training “everyone is trained”
Development of local pedagogical materials
Exchange of experiences, both national and international
Take into account the gender and age groups
Close collaboration with other institutions to join efforts and avoid duplication
Implementation of the Units of intercultural production training

Expected results

105 trainers of the SENA are highly trained to work in multicultural contexts
A total of 35 training programmes that include development of curriculum and didactic materials specific for indigenous and afro-colombian communities
105 units of intercultural production training documented by the instructors and compiled
A institutional policy of SENA for capacity building in multicultural contexts
Strategic alliances with local, national and international institutions with relevant experience in training programmes and execution of projects in multicultural contexts.