TAP Participants to Benefit From Well-Structured Training

Participants in the 2019 batch of the Universal Service Fund (USF) Technology Advancement Programme (TAP) will benefit from training given by the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) and the HEART Trust/NTA.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the USF, Daniel Dawes, speaking at the TAP orientation programme at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on August 22, indicated that for the first three months, training will be provided at the USF’s Community Access Points (CAPs) in each parish in Data Management/Digitisation.

He also pointed out that training will also be conducted at the CMU in 3D printing.

Once the CMU component is completed, Mr. Dawes said that the HEART Trust/ NTA will come on board to train the participants in the area of Computer Administration as well as in Basic Computer Repairs.

Following this training, each of the participants will be evaluated, then placed in an organisation to work for six months.

Mr. Dawes told the 600 participants, who will be paid a stipend of approximately $10,000 per week, that “it is incumbent on you to ensure that the training works,” and emphasised the importance of proper grooming while participating in the programme.

The TAP is being administered by the USF, an agency within the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology (MSET), and is geared at assisting Jamaican youth between 18 and 35 years to acquire employment skills, provide them with short-term employment and, ultimately, making participants ready for longer-term employment.

Participants in the programme will be tracked for five years following their one- year training and work experience, to ensure that they continue to be meaningful contributors to the Jamaican society.