Dayton Campbell expands his Second Chance Initiative - Programme now includes CSEC subjects as training reaches 3,000 persons

Dr Dayton Campbell’s Second Chance Initiative, which began in 2012 and is aimed at offering a second opportunity at education for youth in his constituency of North West St Ann, has expanded to include Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects.

Training for this academic year is set to begin this week, with more than 400 persons registered for 13 technical areas, in addition to the CSEC subjects.

This latest batch will bring the number of persons trained since 2012 to over 3,000, Campbell told The Gleaner on Sunday.

“It’s going on well,” he said. “The students seem to be taking up the opportunity, and quite a few of them are finding employment when they are finished, as well.

“We’ve trained and certified over 2,500 persons; this batch pushes it up to over 3,000. In addition to the subject areas that we had before, we have added CSEC subjects to the programme, so now, we’re also offering mathematics, English, principles of business, and human and social biology. Those classes are conducted at Brown’s Town Primary School.”

SUBJECT AREAS

Last Monday’s orientation at the Brown’s Town Community College attracted more than 400 persons interested in the various subject areas. These are bartending, webpage design, electrical installation, allied health (patient care), cake baking and decorating, commercial driving operations, housekeeping, commercial food preparation, welding, auto mechanics, motor vehicle repairs, pre-technology (data entry, entrepreneurial skills), and personal development, in addition to the aforementioned CSEC subjects.

The programme has grown significantly since its early years, when just four subject were offered. The classes are offered for free to constituents, and upon completion, they are awarded a HEART Trust/NTA certificate.

The availability of the HEART Trust/NTA certificates also means that many persons who would have had years of experience in their chosen field but lack certification are now able to be certified, enabling them to broaden their scope when seeking job opportunities.

Classes will be held at Brown’s Town Primary School and Brown’s Town Community College.