HEART/NTA Introduces New Business Model To Clarendon

The HEART Trust/National Training Agency (HEART/NTA) has introduced a ‘New Business Model’ to Clarendon, which is expected to improve the quality and capacity of the workforce in the parish.
Presenting the model at the Hotel Versalles in May Pen last week, Executive Director of HEART/NTA, Robert Gregory explained that the primary objective of the new model was to “create a Jamaican workforce trained and certified to international standards”.
He pointed out that this workforce would stimulate employment, create investments, and contribute to improved productivity, competitiveness and prosperity of individuals, enterprises and the nation.
“Within five years we can actually transform this Jamaican economy. Increasing access to more working age Jamaicans, to training and certification, that’s the real point of the new business model,” he said.
Mr. Gregory noted that there were some 467,000 Jamaicans who were skilled. However, he said about 342,000 of these were without certification, adding that the training agency had as its target, the certification of these persons.
He also pointed out that the agency was seeking to train and have certified, at least 600,000 persons within the next five years.
The Executive Director reported that in Clarendon there were about 1,766 HEART/NTA trainees as at December last year, with the figure expected to increase to 1,982 trainees by next month.
Mr. Gregory added that the organization was building its capacity to increase the number to some 6,000 trainees in Clarendon by the end of 2004.
He pointed out that there were several community based training projects in Clarendon, including areas such as Kellits, Crofts Hill, Christiana and Spaldings, in addition to pre-level one programmes for persons who needed upgrading to enter mainstream training programmes.
Mr. Gregory said that persons could access information about the new model on the Internet, as well as learning material for distance education.