How to select the most potential students?

Last week one of my meetings was an introduction to the Passerelles numériques' internship team and they explained to me how the PN students selection process works. This selection process entails many phases.  It starts with the information sessions, held in many high-schools all over the country, to inform potential candidates about the scholarship opportunities offered by PN. After this comes the written exams – designed to test the student’s abilities in English, logic and mathematics. The exams are followed by the student interviews, used to verify potential students’ motivations.  The process ends with social investigations, to ensure that only students
from very disadvantaged contexts are admitted. 

Keyfigures:

• This year the selection procedure took place in 18 provinces,
• 7000 students attended the information sessions,
• 1781 followed the written exam,
• 950 have met our selection team to prove their motivation.

Just at this time, PN is running the social investigations. Their team is visiting 656 families. The aim of these investigations is to verify if the students position matches the PN’s financial criteria. They gather information concerning the number of the family’s members, the parents’ job – if they work – and salary, any debts, the goods they own, their health conditions, and their motivation. Basically, all information concerning the family living conditions are taken into account to make the final choice. Finally, on the basis of their knowledge of the English language, general skills and motivation, 200 students will be selected to enroll at PN Cambodia.

Mr. Thaina Seang, selection manager of PN said to me: "The selection process is quite complex and definitely one of the most challenging phases of Passerelles numériques job. The most difficult part for the selection team are the social investigations: every year we have to meet about 600 families on average in 4 months. They often live in landlocked villages, very difficult to reach by public transports. We leave Phnom Penh by motorbike and we often face rain and mud, especially during the rainy season when racetracks are pretty impracticable. In spite of these difficulties, our staff works with high motivation to achieve our goal in time”.

About Passerelles numériques

History

Throughout the world, far too many underprivileged yet capable young people cannot access higher education and therefore remain trapped in poverty. In Cambodia, out of 300.000 young people born every year, 20 000 reach University level and only 2.000 attain qualified professional employment.

With the vision of a world where through access to education and employment, the most underprivileged can use their talent to reach a better future, Passerelles numériques strives to enable the largest number of young people in a precarious situation to access training leading to a qualified job in the Information Technologies sector. Since 2005, with the support of major actors in the IT field, such as Accenture, Microsoft, HP and Econocom, we have developed in Phnom Penh an IT training center matching market needs for underprivileged young Cambodians.

Achievements

Built on five principles; Fair and rigorous selection, Solid technical and practical training, General training in business skills and values, Social and educational development and Guidance to employment, this project has reached large successes;

•     261 students (out of 280) completed a 2-year IT technician training, and 100% of graduates have found a qualified job with 3-5 times the national average salary, enabling them to support a whole family and filling 20 – 30% of the IT technicians positions needed in the country each year.
•     175 students (out  of 175) completed the 6-month “Data management operator” training and were  hired in the work-study program of the social business Digital Divide Data.

Based on this flexible and reproducible social integration model developed in Cambodia, similar projects have been launched in Cebu (Philippines) in 2009 and in Da Nang (Vietnam) in 2010. 350 students are currently being trained by Passereles numériques in these three countries. These projects help fill the digital gap, empowering large numbers of new IT users and fostering a more balanced development inclusive of remote areas.