Acehnese youth get U.S. scholarships

JAKARTA: More than 300 Acehnese young people aged between 18 and 22 have been awarded scholarships by the U.S. Agency for International Development and Chevron Corporation to give them the skills they will need to rebuild tsunami-hit communities in the region.

The youngsters will attend three-month vocational skills- building courses at the Politeknik Caltex Riau in Pekanbaru, Riau province under the Vocational Training Alliance for Aceh program. The subjects to be studied include computer troubleshooting, computer applications, bookkeeping, electronics repair, electrical wiring, construction skills, carpentry, road construction and welding.

The U.S. Embassy said that the first group of 60 students had arrived in Pekanbaru in July to study building construction and electrical wiring. The second group of 75 participants came on Sunday to study computer applications, welding and bookkeeping.

Students were selected from 33 tsunami-affected villages where the USAID Community-based Recovery Program operates. The selections were made based upon motivation, interest and previous work or school background. But the final decisions were made by village elders.

The Alliance is a result of a US$10 million partnership between USAID and the Chevron Corporation, with 330 scholarships expected to be awarded to young people in Aceh by the end of this year. -- JP