Representatives from all THPC divisions joined a shared training program on “Continuous Improvement for Business Excellence” in early May. The training was hosted in Vientiane by mining company MMG, the owner and operator of the Sepon mine. Also attending were employees from the Nam Theun 2 Power Company and Phu Bia Mining. According to the Vientiane Times, the training aimed to “develop knowledge and skills associated with continuous improvement concepts, tools and techniques. This joint initiative marked an important milestone in strengthening business relationships, retaining and developing people, as well as improving business outcomes”.

“The hardest thing for me right now is deciding what to do next,” muses Maikhene Dedkhounfong, an Engineering and Mining student at the National University of Laos. “I have to choose what I will specialise in for the rest of my course. It’s either exploration or extraction, and both options look interesting”.

Maikhene realises he is fortunate to have this dilemma at all. His parents live in Khounkham District of Khammouane Province and neither have permanent employment, picking up casual labour when it is available.  “I spent seven years at the THPC School in Khounkham, and then won a scholarship from the company to attend university here in Vientiane. I have been very lucky”.

His parents applied to THPC for a place at the school when Maikhene was finishing primary school. “My family has never had much money,” he says, “but with THPC offering a high standard private school education for free, I was able to take a good opportunity”. He studied hard at school and was always near the top of the class, winning the university scholarship in his final year. “My parents encouraged me to study a subject linked to mining,” he explains, “as this is a growth industry. I can also use this engineering degree in other industries if I want”.

Like the other four students studying at universities on THPC scholarships, Maikhene receives a monthly living allowance and also has all fees paid. He says the allowance is more than enough to cover his rent, food and study materials, and he has enough left over to travel home to visit his family between terms. “I can even save a little to give to my mother,” he adds. “She still has my younger sister and brother to look after”.

Maikhene found it tough at first after his move to Vientiane. “The other THPC students are at different campuses, so I had to make new friends here”, he remembers. “But I soon settled and I can manage to get ‘B’ scores in most of my exams and papers”. His ambition is to finish the course and find work as soon as possible. “My parents are getting old,” he says, “and I’d like to be able to support then through their retirement. I want to work for a good company – one as good as THPC if I am lucky”.

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Sonethavy Vongphakdy, a 21-yearold architecture student at of the National University of Laos, yawns through lack of sleep. “I was studying late last night,” he apologises. “It’s not easy,” he says. “The course requires a lot of maths. But I’m doing okay”.

Sonethavy was born in Ban Thasala, a village on the banks of THPC’s Nam Gnouang Reservoir. When he was a child his parents moved to Khounkham, where his father found work as a driver for a local construction company formed to provide services to THPC. He started at the THPC school aged ten and has fond memories of his time there. “We had good, experienced teachers and learned a lot,” he says. “When I arrived at university in Vientiane I found my level of knowledge was quite high in comparison to some other students”.

Last year 36 students started the architecture course at Dong Dok with Sonethavy, but only 20 are now left, with many falling away due to the difficulty of the program. He knew architecture was not an easy subject to study, but he is now approaching the end of his second year and dreams of being able to design and construct both industrial and residential buildings in the future. 

“Design and construction capabilities are not yet up to international standards in Laos,” he says, “and I would like to be able to help change that. When Laos joins the Asian Economic Community in 2015, more foreign companies will be able to come and bid for construction contracts here. I am afraid the Lao style of architecture will be endangered”. This architecture student is ambitious, wanting to be involved not only in the design of buildings, but also in supervision of construction and finishing, including interior design.

“When I have a project to complete I often work until one or two o’clock in the morning. Then I have to get up early to attend classes”. However, Sonethavy knew that architecture was a tough course to complete even before he started. “While I was still at the THPC School I did a lot of research on the internet also spoke to others who had already left for university. That helped me decide what I wanted to do.

When he spoke to THPC, Sonethavy was working on a project to design a post office. “I’m concentrating on efficient use of space,” he says. “It’s important that a building can perform all its functions while offering people a comfortable environment and allowing the owners to stay within budget”.

Staying within budget is always a challenge for students, but Sonethavy realises he is fortunate. It would be very difficult for me to study here without THPC support,” he says. “My father earns a driver’s salary and my mother is a housewife with other children to look after. Here I need to work hard and balance my time and my budget so I can pass the course and make my family proud”.

Does he ever have the time or money to relax and enjoy himself? “Not often”, smiles Sonethavy. “But if I can finish this post office project, I might be able to go out and celebrate with the rest of the students on the team”.

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“Moving to Vientiane was not so hard for me,” recalls Aloun Sinxaypanya, who is now in her second year as a student at the National University of Laos. “When I was a child I left my family to go and stay with an aunt so that I could attend the THPC School at Khounkham. So leaving for the big city just seemed like a natural progression”.

Aloun comes from Muang Namxan, not far from Khammouane Province’s famous Konglor cave and about 40 km from the THPC camp at Khounkham. Her parents sent her away so that she could benefit from the education offered there, and Aloun remains grateful that they made this sacrifice for her.

“Going to the THPC School enabled me to apply for a university scholarship and that’s how I came to be here,” explains the young woman. “There is no way I could have come to study at the National University without the THPC scholarship. My family might have been able to send me to the local teacher-training college, but even that would have been a struggle”.

Aloun is almost halfway through a four-year course in Electronics and Telecommunications, a course she chose on the advice of her parents. “I had no idea what to expect when I started, but I do enjoy the course,” she says. “If I can get through this, I will be confident that I can do anything in the future”.

There are more women than men on her course, which she says makes classes more comfortable. Aloun admits that living in the capital city can be a little unnerving at times for a young woman from the countryside. “I think it’s easier for the boys who came from the THPC School”, she says. “As women we have to be careful where we go, especially in the evenings. There are many temptations in the city, many things that us country kids have never seen before”.
 

Aloun keeps reminding herself that she is not in Vientiane to spend money on flashy telephones, clothes and nightclubs. “THPC provide enough money to cover all my expenses as long as I am sensible”, she says. “I even have enough to enroll in a night school to learn English, and when the holidays for both university and English school coincide, I can go home to visit my family”.  

One of her younger sisters has already left home and gone to live with Aunty – she too has a place in the THPC School. Aloun thinks it would be wonderful if her sister could also get a university scholarship, but says the THPC scholarship is beneficial even for those students that miss it.

“The scholarship program is very good for young people in my area. It gives opportunity to a few and provides encouragement to the rest of the pupils at the school. There is an incentive for everyone to try and do well.”

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