TİKA Supports Vocational Trainings In Colombia

In coordination with the Ministry of Culture of Colombia, TİKA provided elements and machinery for safe work at heights to the Boyacá Workshop School in the city of Tunja, Boyacá.

Boyacá Workshop School's mission is to enable the training of competent people from labor and human training, through the implementation of sustainable and purposeful projects with social impact; for this reason, through this project the School seeks to implement a training center for safe work at heights or UVAE Vocational Business Learning Unit, in order to strengthen the training of apprentices and technicians in Heritage Recovery Built, Construction and Carpentry and other related programs of the National Workshop Schools Program of Colombia.

This Program is one of the initiatives led by the Ministry of Culture since 2009, through the Directorate of Heritage, in 10 places in Colombia, where heritage and traditional trades are recovered from training, likewise, culture, entrepreneurship and training for work and human development are articulated.

The donation made consisted of the construction of a structure for TSA training in compliance with the regulations of National Government; the provision of a hanging scaffold with rigging; 8 slings of position in rope with regulator; 12 multipurpose harness with 4 anchor points with D-ring; 4 steel carabiner large opening carabiner, among others.

Thanks to this donation, the free training of more than 700 competent people from labor and human training is possible, with an emphasis on the preservation of the nation's heritage. It should be noted that in recent years accessing this training has been increasingly difficult, since SENA is the only entity in the Department in charge of assigning training spaces, which are located in the city of Sogamoso (Boyacá), quotas that are difficult to access.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Culture of Colombia, Mr. Felipe Buitrago, the Governor of Boyacá, Mr. Ramiro Barragán, and the Mayor of Tunja, Mr. Luis Alejandro Fúneme. Likewise, it had the participation of the Director of the School, Ms Nancy Camacho Pérez, who expressed: “The materials that are received today will undoubtedly have a very positive impact on the approach of the young apprentices of the Colombian Workshop Schools, to a training in safe work at heights, necessary to continue working for the recovery of this architecture. Walking on the roofs implies, as in this time of pandemic, taking precautionary measures so as not to stop but to overcome difficulties”.

Similarly, the Minister of Culture highlighted: “TİKA's donation will have a great impact that will allow the development of talents and skills so that the young apprentices of the Colombian Workshop Schools can be linked to the productive sector, increasing their competitiveness in the labor market and working safely to contribute to the recovery of our built heritage ”. On the other hand, he extended a few words of gratitude to the Agency: “The solidarity of the government of Turkey, through TİKA, will allow Boyacá Workshop School to expand its training offer and develop an entrepreneurship model to train and certify apprentices in safe work at heights for the entire network of Escuela Taller y Talleres Escuela de Colombia, with an impact at the national level and in the various territories of our country”.