Coalition, Iraqis building new vocational school in Tikrit

Tikrit, known as the birthplace of a murderous dictator and as the northern axis of the "Triangle of Death", will soon be known as a hub for producing an exceptionally well-trained workforce.

New Vocational School and Textile Mill Boost Economy in Tikrit

By Sgt. Waine D. Haley
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
July 14, 2006

TIKRIT, Iraq - The seeds of trade and industry are taking root and springing to life as Coalition Forces and Iraqi leaders dig in and try to bring new life to Iraq's economy.

Captain Daniel Cederman, Projects Officer for the 402nd Civil Affairs Detachment and Kadhin Nori Abid, Ph.D., expert in vocational education representing the government of Salah Ah Din province, are working together to build a self-sustaining economy in Tikrit and the surrounding areas of Iraq.

One of the many projects they are working on with other officials is building an industrial vocational school in the Tikrit area. The school will teach local people skills in different fields of technology, helping to build and improve Iraq 's economic stability.

The schools curriculum will educate men and women in multiple occupational fields such as the production of high-tech products, plastic production technology, masonry, carpentry, petroleum equipment maintenance and repair, farm machinery and automotive repair.

This self-supporting educational institution estimates the graduating students will work in jobs ranging from the oilfields in Bayji to textile mills that will produce uniforms for the Iraqi Army and Police. This will help with local jobs and national oil production, in turn helping the local and national economy.

The school owns a textile mill where many of the graduates will work producing uniforms. The mill is scheduled to begin producing and selling products within the year, with the profits from the mill going to fund the school.

The vocational school's operation, support and funding are modeled after a system South Korea used in another part of Iraq. The curriculum is being co-sponsored by companies in the United States who provide donations and educate Iraqi instructors. The school will also have an internet center so students have access to different types of educational resources from around the world.

"The computer and internet center is especially important because it will supply people with different learning facets, including scientific education, social education, and historical education," Abid said. "I feel it's important this center can educate people how free and democratic countries around the world operate and how [their] people live."

Abid says the school will employ about 50 instructors and the textile mill will employ 100 workers and 50 administrative personnel.

Cederman explains that the building of a stabile economy in Iraq is a key step to Coalition Forces pulling out of Iraq.

"The Coalition Forces will be stepping back from the governing and economics pieces and letting the PRT [Provincial Reconstruction Team] step up and take the advisory roll and now you have a civilian face," Cederman said. "Now you have the civilian State Department face and no longer the military face; we'll just be in the back ground. Eventually we'll step all the way out of the picture and there will only be a civilian face. Then they will step out of the picture and you'll only have a fully functional Iraqi ... so is the plan."

I don't know about you, but I get excited when I read about things like this.

These kinds of schools, along with other such operations, will play a critical role in stabilizing the national economy and jump-starting Iraqi industry.

Bravo.

Posted by Kyer at July 19, 2006 01:05 PM | TrackBack