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European Vocational Skills Week
News announcement20 November 2017Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Crafting their futures

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Woodworking is a time-honoured trade. For young Polish people, it was a chance to take their lives into their own hands in theory and in practice.
It can be difficult for young people from disadvantaged or troubled backgrounds to overcome the challenges they face without external help. For 10 boys in the care of the Educational Centre for Troubled Adolescents in Jaworze, Poland, that help came in the form of an ESF-funded carpentry course.
The project was run by the Vocational Education Centre in Katowice from 2006-2008, and provided the boys with the chance to learn a new trade and gain confidence in their own abilities. The course included 40 hours of theory and 100 hours of practical woodworking, which resulted in the creation of a variety of furniture.
“From the very start we could see how motivated the boys were,” Jarosław Bonczek, a carer at the Education Centre for Trouble Adolescents says. “They studied exceptionally hard. I can honestly say we were positively surprised.”
90% of the boys who took part in the course completed it and passed the exam with flying colours. The furniture they made has gone on to be used in the Centre, giving them the satisfaction of seeing the results of their hard work on a daily basis.
Want to find out more? Check out the links below:
About the project
Social inclusion (ESF website)
Opportunities for young people (Youth Guarantee)

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Professional organisation or social partner