The Don Bosco Vocational Centre in Kep Province is a big deal for this region, hence the presence of such prominent people for the opening. Young people, largely unskilled, flock to the neighbouring commercial city areas like Phon Penh and Sihanoukville in search of better opportunities and employment. The Don Bosco Vocational Centre will serve at leat two functions in this regard: encourage young people to stay put in their own province, but with the skills to improve these rural regions, or be properly skilled to take up life and employment in the 'big' cities. the Salesians in Cambodia have chosen to focus on intellectual skills in particular through the Kep Centre: social communication, IT, secretariat, eco-tourism, house keeping, front-office and art.
On Tuesday, March 5, a delegation from the Cham community, Kep and religious authorities of the Muslim Faith will celebrate a blessing of the Cham students at Don Bosco. On Wednesday 6 it will be the Buddhist pagoda turn, when a group of monks will give also a blessing to the school according to Cambodian traditions.
On 7 March, the main civic event is the opening by the Minister for Education, Sport and Youth, the Hon. Im Sethy. His Excellency Bishop Oliviere Schimitthaeusler, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, will lead the blessing of the school in the name of the Cambodian Catholic Church during the event.
It is expected that large delegations (running to a thousand or more) of students from local Kep schools will also attend the event, seeing it as a special door to their own future.