Students Attend Careers Day at Rose Hall Training Centre

Over 200 students, including teachers and clubbites from schools in St. Catherine, attended a Careers Day held on Friday (Sept. 26) at the Rose Hall 4-H Training Centre in Linstead, St Catherine.
The event was organised by the St. Catherine 4-H Advisory Council and held under the theme, “Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow.” Several institutions and government agencies including the University of Technology (UTech), the Jamaica Constabulary Force, JAMAL Foundation of St. Catherine, the Fire Brigade, the Jamaica Defence Force, HEART Trust/NTA showcased information on their organisations and also gave informal lectures on aspects of career development. 4-H Field Services and Economic Development Manager, Byron Noble who delivered the main address, told the students to appreciate the value of education. He noted that the days when persons could get a job without knowing how to read and write were gone.
Mr. Noble gave examples of some jobs, which now required persons to be computer literate. He urged the students to study hard and to get the qualifications that were needed to enter the college or training institution of their choice.
“You cannot get a cashier work on the toll road, or even in a patty shop if you cannot operate a basic computer driven cash register,” he said, noting that garbage collectors also have to be able to read in order to follow instructions and to drive a garbage truck.
“Careers are changing, the world is changing, and as you prepare for it you will have to change,” he told the students.
Commenting on the event, Chairman of the Parish Advisory Council Winston Armstrong told JIS news that it was a “huge success” and praised 4-H Leaders for their efforts in ensuring the participation of clubbites. He said the Advisory Council through the Leaders would continue to guide clubbites in choosing their careers and to obtain whatever information they needed to pursue a particular training course Dolores Henry, President of the 4-H Leaders’ Association in an interview with JIS, said the event was an opportunity to inform the students of the many career paths available to them, adding that many of the students were not aware of the different career paths they could choose. She said that most of the programmes taught at 4-H Clubs were “a stepping stone to higher learning.”
“We have to ensure that we set the foundation in 4-H,” she said, adding the clubbites are taught to use their hands, their heads and their hearts. In addition, she said that they are encouraged to attend the various 4-H training programmes in the parish.