A Day In The Life – Electricity Vocational Training From Home

In this edition of ‘A Day In The Life’ we are introduced to 17 year old Kosal, a Mith Samlanh Electricity student.

17-year-old Kosal is one year into a Vocational Training program in Electricity. He lives at home in Phnom Penh with his parents and his sister. Kosal wakes up at 6am each day and eats breakfast with his sister before getting the Mith Samlanh bus to the Vocational Training Center at around 7.15am. Classes begin at 8am, with the first task of the day being to clean and organize the classroom in preparation for the day’s work. Most classes will begin with a theory lesson before they put their practical knowledge to the test. Teachers demonstrate and supervise as the students practice fixing fans, refrigerators or air-conditioners, as well as larger scenarios such as wiring light fixtures or plugs. This is Kosal’s favorite part of the day; he especially enjoys learning about electrical plans for buildings. On some days, they will visit real working sites to assist with projects that give them practical experience.  Kosal says that this is fun as the students all work in a team together and it gives him lots of confidence.

He eats lunch with the other vocational trainees at Mith Samlanh before returning to the classroom in the afternoon. Sometimes this will be for further electrical skills, at others a variety of different lessons. Twice a week the electricity students will have English classes and on one other day they will be taught life skills; this includes anything from reproductive health to basic budgeting so they can look after their earnings once they are at work. Kosal also enjoys participating in sports with Club Friends. At around 4.30pm he gets back on the bus to head home; he dislikes the 30 minute commute, but enjoys his evenings at home where he will meet with friends in the community or just watch some TV, before heading to bed to prepare for another day…

By Kong Chanthy