Prime Minister Emphasises Importance of Training

Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, has emphasised the importance of training, pointing out that it is key to the development and empowerment of communities.
He stressed that the Government was committed to the training of young persons at all levels.
Mr. Golding was speaking at the official opening of a state-of-the-art community centre, constructed at a cost of approximately $9 million, in Albert Town, Trelawny, on October 19.
“We have a lot of people, especially young people, who are coming out of school, and some of them have two subjects, some have four, some have six subjects, while some have no subject at all, and yet every one of them has the potential to do something,” he said.
“We have to move beyond just the formal school curriculum, and we need to ensure that no matter what your aptitude may have been at school, and no matter what your performance may have turned out to be, in terms of the traditional scholastic assessment arrangement, that no child, no student, gets to a point where you get to a dead end,” the Prime Minister said.
He explained that the new vision within the Ministry of Education is that after high school, there must be opportunities to continue and improve on one’s education and training.
The Prime Minister pointed out that opportunities are available, but persons need to be trained.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the CHASE Fund, Billy Heaven, noted that his organisation contributed just over $4 million to the construction of the facility. He emphasised that every effort should be made to ensure that the community benefits from the new facility.
“If it is not put to real use, you would have defeated the cause. And the purpose of the centre is really to make sure that people benefit from the programmes that will be offered there,” he said.
Mr. Heaven stressed the importance of proper maintenance of the facility by members of the community, adding that if this is not done, in a short time it would not be there to serve its purpose.