Mocho youth given second chance with free training

One hundred youth are now grateful for the second chance they have been given to turn their lives around.

A programme pioneered by Romaine Morris, councillor for the Mocho division in Clarendon, provided them with free training and Level Two certificates from HEART Trust/NTA in practical nursing, food preparation, and hospitality.

Among some of the young persons who benefited from the programme were those who dropped out of high school because of early pregnancies. The graduation ceremony took place last Saturday at the Mocho Church of Christ.

Graduates were reminded of the importance of putting God first by Dr Bradley Edwards, senior medical doctor at May Pen Hospital.

"You have received a second chance at life today; you have been enabled to help yourself and your family. Remember, whatever you do, don't forget God as He brought you here for a reason. Now is the time for you to be independent," Edwards told them.

The youngsters were also given money-management tips courtesy of insurance adviser Shane Bailey, who opened their eyes to many opportunities, including the rewards that can be derived from going into their own business.

In addressing the graduates, Morris told them that he was inspired to bring a programme like that to the community because of his own circumstance of leaving high school without a single pass in an external examination.

It was the HEART Trust/NTA that he turned to for a skill, which earned him a job at May Pen Hospital. He, too, embraced his second chance, as he went back to school to sit his Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examination and was now studying social work at Northern Caribbean University.