Gail Vest, Hairdressing teacher from Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), ran a technical Hairdressing Trainer Training for five APHEDA partners during her recent stay in Cambodia. The Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Thmar Kul, Mong Russey and O’Reang Ov rural women’s vocational education centres each sent a trainee hairdressing trainer to upgrade their skills.
The trainee trainers learnt excellent cutting and styling skills and were thrilled by the training program which ran from 9th to 16th November and included training on teaching methodology and lesson planning by APHEDA’s Cambodian training team. The training was run in APHEDA’s training/meeting room and Gail donated not only her time and expertise to APHEDA and partners, but also Hairdressing training equipment and state-of-the-art Hairdressing training DVDs for each of the 5 women’s centres. She also shouted $5.00 shampoos and blow-drys for the 5 trainees, at the Mith Samlanh (Friends) training centre in Phnom Penh, so that the trainees could experience the professional manner for performing these services.
Gail’s hairdresser friend Elaine visiting from Canberra also donated her expertise and ran an afternoon demonstration cutting and styling volunteer trainees’ hair, and also cut APHEDA staff members’ hair as a demonstration!
APHEDA’s partners are very pleased that APHEDA was able to offer this Hairdressing trainer training. They have wanted to include Hairdressing in their vocational education curriculum for some time because it is a very good employment skill in rural areas especially in the wedding season, but APHEDA has been unable to support because of lack of technical assistance. Now we have made an excellent beginning and are hoping that Gail will be able to offer us further assistance next year.
Tom Cotton, Gail’s colleague, recently retired Food and Beverage teacher at CIT who was visiting Cambodia also donated his expertise. He ran a Responsible Service of Alcohol training program for the Beer Promotion Workers program trainers from the Phnom Penh central and Siem Reap branch of our partner union CFSWF (Cambodian Food and Service Workers Federation), on 17 & 20 September 2010.
APHEDA Cambodia and partners are very grateful to Gail, Tom and Elaine for their generous and expert assistance.
