4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs

Story by Pfc. Andrya Hill

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan –An Afghan vocational training program, sponsored by the Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team, honored 54 graduates in a ceremony, Aug. 29, in the Zormat District of the Paktya province in eastern Afghanistan.

The Fahir Tawhid Construction Company hosted the ceremony, which recognized the accomplishments of students participating in carpentry, masonry and welding vocational training programs.

Tribal Elders and Shura leaders from Zormat, as well as the neighboring district of Gerda Serai, congratulated the graduates and wished them prosperity and integrity as they forge professional careers.

The students range from 18 to 35 years old, and are selected for program attendance by the Tribal elders. Government law mandates that ten percent come from orphanages.

Each four-month long course provides basic education, including writing and mathematics, as well as instruction in vocational specialties that build foundational skills.

Students were tested by weekly exams and practical exercises in which they created products that were donated to the community.

Carpentry students built doors and window frames to donate to the Department of Refugees and Returnees in order to assist with low-cost housing. The welding students assisted in the construction of the doors and window frames, and also made desks to donate to local schools. The masonry class is in the process of building a meeting hall for the Director of Education.

Each student received a basic tool kit to use in class, and the graduates were given the kits upon course completion. They were also provided a set of new clothes along with their graduation certificates, and will receive two months of job placement assistance.

"The Fahir Tawhid Construction Company is an outstanding example of Afghan leadership, ingenuity and capacity building," said the PRT commander, Lt. Col. Carols Halcomb. "The training FTCC students receive enables them to improve their quality of life, as well as that of their hometowns, by bringing skilled labor into the local work force and passing acquired skills to younger members of their communities."

An immense benefit of this type of training is providing an honest means of livelihood for the graduates, enabling them to resist illegal offers by insurgents, and essentially lowering the overall violence within the district.

"If it weren't for training programs like this, many of these students would probably be taking Taliban money to kill people or place IEDs," said an Elder from Zormat.

The PRT is confident that these programs will bring progress and pride to the district.

"This class is especially significant because Zormat district suffers from considerable insurgent influence and hasn't historically been able to participate in similar programs because of security concerns," said Halcomb. "This represents an important step forward for Zormat joining the rest of the province in moving toward a brighter future."

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