Artisan Learning. Artisans had learnt their skills mainly from various family members, followed by learning from a “master”. Three artisans said that they had learnt their skills through onsite training. Almost half of the respondents attended a training sponsored by ATA (14), while the remainder said they were trained by other artisans, specifically Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx and Xxxxxxxxxx, all of whom are ATA clients. Although 34 out of 35 respondents stated that there were parts of training they had not used, very few gave specific examples. Of those who answered, the most common response was “export”. Since working at the current enterprise, artisans rated as important having learned about quality control, working in a group, sculpting and learning to utilize wood properly. A number of respondents also said that they had learned how to produce softwood birds. They identified learning to use modern equipment and product development as the things that had most changed their work. When asked about skills other than product and business skills, there was no dominant response: 2 artisans had learned to manage their finances and 2 had learned to develop and improve their relationship with buyers. 5 respondents said that they had not learnt any other skills that were useful. A few artisans surveyed mentioned some product-specific skills such as mounting arcs and doors, sculpting and learning to make “short houses” [a successful product in the export market]. For the future, artisans wanted to learn how to make new products and how to use modern equipment. The other most common thing that artisans wanted to learn was English. Respondents wanted help in financing the cost of raw materials, equipment and in securing more orders for their products.
Artisan Learning. Artisans learned their skills from their families and one the job. Respondents did not identify a single new skill learned in the project as most important, but in general, the artisans indicated that they had learned to make both improved and different products. Color combination, batiks and embroidery were specific skills that were mentioned. Beyond product and business skills, artisans had learnt to share their ideas, express their opinions and work with others. For the future, artisans surveyed was that they wanted to learn how to make new designs and improve the quality of existing ones. Two artisans also indicated that they would like to learn more about color mixing and develop their weaving skills. One respondent indicated a desire to learn about computers, while another wanted to pursue his/her secondary education. Four respondents said they would like more product development.
