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THE DOUGLAS COLLEGE NEWSLETTER ff DECEMBER 1996

Centre 2000 succeeds on an international scale

On the road

During a break in her summer work schedule, Janet Knowles checked out some of Pakistan’s tourist attractions.

Janet Knowles, Director of Community and Contract Services for Centre 2000, has had another busy year.

As one of two Women’s Employment and Training Consultants to Pakistan’s National Vocational Training Project, she’s already spent three months traveling to the cities of Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad and Quetta. And she’s not through yet.

Knowles and co- consultant Caroline Beatty, a career development specialist from Ontario’s Humber College, will spend over 175 days each in Pakistan, training women to run women’s training centres, find job placements, and work with employers to match labour market supply with demand.

Knowles was chosen to work on this Canadian International Development Agency-funded project because of her expertise in contract services and prior experience with CIDA.

“Centre 2000 is already known provincially and nationally for our expertise in labour market adjustment and development,” she explains. “The Pakistan project pushes us to the edge of the map.”

One of the project’s most interesting challenges so far, says Knowles, has been to acknowledge her own cultural biases. “There is an intrinsic cohesion to their system that’s difficult to evaluate according to Western standards.”

In Pakistan, non-traditional work for women involves anything outside the home. It is Knowles’ task to help develop approaches appropriate for the project’s cultural context.

She sees most job opportunities emerging in trades such as dress design, beauty, office automation, architectural design and small appliance repair. “These fields are most aligned with cultural expectations for women, and offer opportunities for self-employment or work within the joint-family system.”

Knowles is looking forward to leaving for her next 60-day visit on December 15, and not just because the work is rewarding. It’s also a chance to bring the work she does at Centre 2000 into a global arena, which may mean more opportunities for Douglas College to

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