4-H Club Training 600 Young Persons
By: , February 26, 2014The Key Point:
The Facts
- The participants, all of whom are over 17 years of age, are currently being trained in small equipment repair, apiculture and commercial meal preparation.
- The Jamaica 4-H Club’s training capacity will be significantly enhanced through assistance from the Japanese Embassy.
The Full Story
The Jamaica 4-H Club has begun a programme to train 600 young persons for self-employment and jobs in the logistics hub.
Making the announcement on February 21, at the Club’s Kingston Parish Achievement Day activities at the Duhaney Park Primary School, Executive Director of the Jamaica 4-H Club, Ronald Blake, disclosed that the participants, all of whom are over 17 years of age, are currently being trained in small equipment repair, apiculture and commercial meal preparation.
He also informed that 250 persons are being trained in heavy equipment operation, “in preparation for the mega-project in Jamaica – the logistics hub”.
Mr. Blake said that if the 4-H club is to be effective, the organisation will have to cater to the needs of young people more effectively, and pointed to the urgent need to engage the youth in meaningful activities.
“I think this project is great, because the greatest threat in our country is unattached youth, who are uneducated, unemployed and unskilled,” he argued.
Mr. Blake said that the training programme will empower the participants and after graduation, they will not have to search aimlessly for a job, but will be able to create their own employment.
He noted that the Jamaica 4-H Club’s training capacity, which has been boosted by the work of volunteers, will be significantly enhanced through assistance from the Japanese Embassy, which is providing 19 consultants for 10 months to construct an online global 4-H training institute, that will train 4-H clubbites across the globe.
Mr. Blake congratulated the volunteers who have assisted to increase membership in the Movement.
“We currently have a membership that is 70 per cent higher than what it was the previous year. Because of your hard work, training is three times higher than in 2013,” he said.
Mr. Blake pointed out that the organisation should not depend fully on the public purse for much longer, and a decision has been made that it has to earn its keep, while finding ways to do more with its allocation.