28 graduate from IWED’s intervention programme in St James
Published:Friday | September 2, 2022 | 12:05 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE INSTITUTE for Workforce Education and Development’s [IWED] Youth Crime and Violence Prevention Intervention Programme has proven to be an effective crime diversion intervention for 28 young persons mainly from inner-city communities in St James, who successfully completed their training.
The first cohort of 28, who range in ages from 17-29 years, were lauded for their dedication and desire to become agents of positive change at a graduation ceremony held at the SeaGarden Resort in Montego Bay, where the curtain officially came down on the five-month vocational skills training programme.
Aldine Reynolds, a 26-year-old resident of Rose Heights, was full of praise for the IWED programme, which began in March this year and targeted residents of the volatile communities of Rose Heights, Canterbury and Flanker.
“The representatives were walking around in my neighbourhood, and they told me about the programme. I was interested, so I took part in it, and I did not find the training difficult,” said Reynolds, who aspires to become a bartender or a waiter. “It is a good course that can help most young people from out of the ghetto.”
Reynolds’ sentiments were shared by fellow graduate, 23-year-old Shian Norman, of Flanker, who commended the level of encouragement given by the instructors to those who participated in the programme.
“I enjoyed this programme, and I enjoyed working with the teachers. It is a good class, it encourages a lot of persons, and it gives full understanding about the work world and how you must go out to perform for yourself,” said Norman, who wants to become a midwife.
“I do not regret taking this class, and if I got a chance to do this class over again, I would do it again,” she added.
INITIATIVE
The IWED, which is a member of the Manpower and Maintenance Services Limited Group (MMS), partnered with the United States Agency for International Development to deliver the training programme, which was designed to address the issue of youth crime and violence in Jamaican communities.
During the five-month course, the 28 participants were trained in vocational skills such as cleaning and sanitisation techniques for food service. They were also given on-the-job experience facilitated by MMS’s regional office in Montego Bay, in partnership with Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records.
At Wednesday’s graduation ceremony, Garth Hinchcliffe, MMS’s deputy chief executive officer, described the training programme as a stepping stone for the participants to become gainfully employed.
“Just getting this programme registered was a challenge, but it turned out to be a blessing for these 28 people. This is a stepping stone that says to the world, ‘I can be trained,’ and we put in quite a sizeable amount of our personal funds into the programme because we believe in you,” said Hinchcliffe.
Janet Silvera, immediate past president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who was the keynote speaker at the graduation, lauded the graduates for defying the cultural stigma attached to their communities by participating in the IWED programme.
“You have decided that you would not be defined by your addresses, and that is why you are here today. It is important that when you enter the job market, you are not to shy away from hard work and from standing out,” Silvera told the graduates. “You need to hug up that word called ambition, and while you hug up ambition, do not allow the fear of the unknown to keep you back and do not allow anyone to tell you it is easier to scam, rob or kill.”