Holeta Polytechnic College recently organized short-term training for regional students from Eritrea and Yemen as part of the EASTRIP project objectives. The college conducted training sessions on dairy, fruit, and vegetable processing for a group of 11 students, among whom 8 were female. This initiative is pivotal as regional student enrolment serves as a key indicator for the project’s progress.

In collaboration with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’s Refugees and Returnees services, Holeta Polytechnic College provided accommodation, including dormitories, classrooms, and meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for the students. Additionally, the college is in the process of constructing various buildings such as a student dormitory (G+4), student classrooms (G+4), and a teaching factory for agro-processing through EASTRIP.

For this particular training programme, the college arranged hotel services near the campus for the regional students. There is a strong commitment from the college to meet enrollment targets for regional students. Feedback from the trainees has been positive, highlighting the practical nature of the training. Students found lessons on vegetable juice processing, milk quality testing, yogurt production procedures, and milk pasteurization particularly engaging. Many expressed their interest in starting their own fruit and vegetable processing businesses.

By Dawit Taddesse, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for EASTRIP at Holeta Polytechnic College