Female welder aims to go the distance

Year one Operation Friendship graduate hopes to complete all levels of training

Thirty-one-year-old Clara Graham, who was the only female graduate among the Year One welding class run by Operation Friendship, at the school-leaving ceremony on Thursday June 30, encouraged her fellow project participants to think more about the goal of achievement and less about the difficulties encountered while trying to complete the programme.

Graham, who hopes to complete all levels of training and is now in Year Two, said that on many occasions, she begged the fare from tutors, or walked part of the distance between home and the training centre on Bell Road, Kingston.

Unemployed, with two children, she recalls, "I would leave Arnett Gardens before the sun gets hot, walk along West Road, straight down the cemetery and to the centre. The $80 that I save I can use to buy a bag juice or a biscuit, or use it to go home when the sun is very hot."

Her perseverance was rewarded, as after one year of training, she was also selected as class valedictorian.

programme funding

The one-year Operation Friendship training programme was funded under the Jamaica Violence Action Fund, a funding instrument developed by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) with the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) grant for subprojects that finance crime and violence prevention activities in high-risk areas. The subgrant provided funds totalling $14.13 million, with Operation Friendship's contribution being J$1.35 million.

The crime and violence prevention project under the JSDF grant is an initiative that focuses on partnership among the private sector, NGOs, CBOs, communities, and the government for the advancement of and integration into productive and uplifting livelihoods of unattached youth in high-risk and vulnerable communities.

The trainees from Operation Friendship reside in Delacree Park, Payne Lands, Seaview Gardens, Waterhouse, Whitfield, Waltham Park, Tivoli Gardens, and Arnett Gardens. The project focused on skills-development training for 50 at-risk young persons (male and female) in welding and building construction, vocational training, employability skills, literacy and numeracy skills, computer skills, and entrepreneurial skills.

provide encouragement

But regardless of the perception that welders turn black in the sun, Graham has persevered. "If you have family who are sitting at home doing nothing, encourage them to come out and train at Operation Friendship," she told fellow programme participants during the ceremony for successful level I particiapnts.

"Coming here among the youths from different corners and learning to multitask is something worthwhile. Welding is not just putting two pieces of metal together. There is also the design element. There is the basic skill that also needs creativity to bring it out."

Guest speaker at the school-leaving exercise was managing director of the JSIF, Scarlette Gillings, who said the training project implemented by Operation Friendship "encompasses the vision that we have at the Jamaica Social Investment Fund of investing in development in a way which speaks directly to securing our country's future".

"These young persons and budding entrepreneurs represent the 'cream of the crop' who endured a selection process and have managed to successfully complete the set tasks. Graduates, you now have the power to take what you have achieved and make it work for you.

"Finding a job is not easy in today's climate, but you have gained skills that will give you the edge in an industry that is growing and always in need of valuable skilled workers. You are not just walking out of this programme with one skill, but you would be the type of well-rounded and grounded employee or entrepreneur that any solid enterprise would want on their team."