HEART/NSTA Trust Launches BRIDGE Project to Train 200 Youth from Hurricane Affected Communities

The HEART/NSTA Trust, on February 17, launched the Building Resilience and Inspiring Development through Guided Experience (BRIDGE) Project, which aims to provide structured on the job training for 200 youth from communities devastated by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.

The BRIDGE Project targets unemployed and at risk youth between the ages of 18 and 25 who have exited the formal education system and have been identified by local social service agencies as being at high risk of long term unemployment, crime, or social exclusion.

It also prioritises young people who lack stable family support or who may be experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity as a result of the hurricane.

The initiative will provide practical, hands on construction training in roof repairs, steel fixing, and masonry, fully immersing participants in real world disaster recovery and reconstruction activities.

Participants will also receive a monthly stipend of $65,000, contingent upon consistent attendance and active participation in training and related programme activities.

Addressing the orientation session at the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Camp Site in St. Elizabeth, HEART/NSTA’s Managing Director, Dr. Taneisha Ingleton, underscored that the institution’s work lies at the centre of the country’s skills transformation.

“Across Jamaica, the construction sector remains one of the most reliable engines of national growth. Homes must be built, schools must be repaired and infrastructure requires skilled… certified hands,” she said.

Dr. Ingleton noted that current projections indicate the Trust is expected to train more than 84,000 individuals and certify approximately 48,000 trainees during fiscal year 2025/26, reaffirming Jamaica’s ongoing commitment to skills development, employability, and lifelong learning.

She told the participants that successful completion of the programme would require discipline, punctuality, respect for supervision, openness to correction, and a commitment to improvement.

“Do not see BRIDGE as an ending but as your beginning and a launchpad into progress, stability and lifelong growth,” Dr. Ingleton said.

Meanwhile, Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ) President, Richard Mullings, welcomed the project, highlighting the importance of industry linked training that is practical, hands on and connected to real projects.

“Long before this disaster (Hurricane Melissa), we have said that Jamaica’s construction capacity is critical to national resilience. Since the passing of Hurricane Melissa, we have been adamant that reconstruction efforts, especially after disasters, must deliberately engage Jamaicans in meaningful roles so that recovery becomes an engine for skills development,” he said.

For her part, JDF Lieutenant Colonel, A. Cooper-Nelson, affirmed the organisation’s support for the initiative.

“The Jamaica Defence Force is proud to support initiatives like BRIDGE, because national security is not only about protecting borders. It is about strengthening citizens; it is about creating opportunities that reduce vulnerability and build social stability. When young Jamaicans are equipped with skills, certification and purpose, our nation becomes safer and stronger,” she said.