Nguyen Ha Trang is training at KOTO. She goes to class 4 days a week and works the other 3 days at KOTO restaurant. After training for 7 months at KOTO, Trang can now communicate confidently with foreign customers: “During the 7-month course at KOTO I learnt to be a bartender. At first, I was like a fish out of water. But later, I was trained not only in vocational skills but also in communication skills and English. Now I feel comfortable in KOTO’s learning and working environment”.

Trang is one of hundreds of disadvantaged youth KOTO has helped. “Her Turn”, which follows other KOTO vocational training projects, is mainly dedicated to vulnerable women, including poor women from remote, mountainous areas, who have limited access to education and employment opportunities. The project will last 3 years and is sponsored by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Nguyen Thi Thao, Chief Executive Officer of KOTO, said: “Like other KOTO projects, “Her Turn” provides training in vocational skills, life skills, and English. This project includes a 6-month course and a 24-month course. Those who take the short course will be certified by KOTO. Those who complete the 24-month course will get a certificate from Box Hill Institute, a vocational and higher education provider in Melbourne, Australia. Certification by Box Hill will give graduates great job opportunities, just in Vietnam, but in other countries”.

(Photo: KOTO)

“Her Turn” trainees will be trained free of charge in baking, cooking, bartending, and catering at hotels and restaurants. Ms. Thao again: “KOTO offers comprehensive training programs. Apart from vocational training, we train them in life skills, communication, financial management, writing a CV, and team work. We also focus on workplace ethics and a positive attitude to life. We hope those skills will help KOTO trainees achieve success”.

Training and assessments will be delivered by Vietnamese and foreign trainers who meet the standards of the Box Hill Institute Quality Management System. To be selected, a candidate must sit for 3 tests, including a math test, a Vietnamese test, and a psychological test. Selected candidates will be taught general knowledge before being trained in a vocation.