EARLY EDUCATION CECAP VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTER

CECAP introduced its first course in solar installation in 2022, responding to an area of high demand in the local job market.

Putting Santa Cruz To Work

• CECAP’s Culinary Program, which has gained great prominance around Lake Atitlan, trained its 12th year of graduates.

• A new partnership with the Universidad del Valle (UVG) allowed access to specialization courses in which our advanced-level carpentry students studied digital software-assisted manufacturing methods. These specialized courses increase their opportunities in the labor market.

• Of the 117 CECAP graduates, 62% are working in the areas in which they were trained. A large percentage of the remainder are continuing their training within CECAP multilevel courses.

• 24 vocational courses completed, reaching 171 students.

2022 Spending: $150,173

Cecap Vocational Training Center

CECAP was born out of a 2006 conversation with Santa Cruz community leaders about how best to grow the impoverished local economy. The few jobs available were lowpaying manual labor, and women had next to no prospect of earning an income outside the home. The community wanted a center to provide pathways out of this poverty cycle. In 2010 CECAP opened its doors to provide just that. Today, CECAP trains students each year in trades including culinary arts, carpentry and weaving.

Graduates work all around Lake Atitlán and in the two social enterprise businesses located in the CECAP building. The CECAP building is also home to the Amigos program offices and is a central space for community meetings.