CMU’s Fact Centre Will Meet Demand for Engineers
By: , September 21, 2018
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (second left), and Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (second right), are briefed on operations in the pneumatics laboratory of the Festo Authorised and Certified Training (FACT) Centre at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) in Kingston, by FACT-certified trainer, Kadian Valentine (right). The occasion was a tour of the facility following its official opening by Prime Minister Holness on Wednesday (September 19). Looking on is Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Audrey Sewell.The Full Story
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the newly launched Festo Authorised and Certified Training (FACT) Centre at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) in Kingston is expected to go a far way in filling Jamaica’s demand for engineers.
The facility, which was officially opened by the Prime Minister on Wednesday (September 19), has the capacity to train and certify more than 4,000 students annually in the areas of industrial automation, mechatronics, and pneumatics.
Mr. Holness, who delivered the keynote address, said the establishment of the FACT Centre will ensure that Jamaica’s development is not constrained because of a shortage of technical expertise.
He noted, for example, that technicians are needed in the maritime industry to maintain cranes and advanced technological equipment, while bottling companies require multifaceted engineers, which the facility will now train and certify.
The centre will also train experts in automobile assembly, which the Prime Minister noted “is now poised to be a significant industry in Jamaica”.
“The career opportunities are vast and varied for Festo-trained graduates, who will have global currency with the dynamic blend of professional and academic qualification from an internationally recognised entity,” Mr. Holness said.
The state-of-the-art facility, which is the largest to be established, is the result of a partnership forged between the CMU, and globally renowned German training institute, Festo Didactic.