Bay to open next month
do so and they are not looked upon as being a nerd, and they command the respect of the community,” Dr Chang stated, while speaking at the Freeport Police Station, following a tour of three police stations in Montego Bay recently.
The security minister, who is also the St James North Western Member of Parliament, pointed out that upon acquiring certification following their training, the participants will be able to attract an attractive income working locally or abroad.
“They [participants] will be licensed...they can go internationally and get work to operate whether D-11 cranes or that kind of heavy equipment that they like to do. But job opportunities for those, both in Jamaica and the US, are available,” he stated.
“It’s simple for a trailer driver even operating in Jamaica, a trip from Kingston will earn him $10,000, compared to a person working in a hotel who gets $10,000 a week. So, if they do a big crane they get $1,500 to $2,000 an hour in Jamaica. If they go North America they get anywhere from US$250 to US$500 an hour, depending on the size of the operation you are doing, so the opportunity in this kind of activity is wellknown to these young men and we are going to offer those opportunities.”
On the other hand, Dr Chang was quick to point out that those youngsters who insist on taking a path of crime will be hunted down by the police and punished.
“We established the security operation, men behave themselves, get into training, fine. Those who continue with the crime will be pursued effectively and vigorously by the police and they will be apprehended…,” the security minister said.
The academy, which is the academic institutional arm of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), will conduct training for the youngsters who will be doing both the military and technical skills through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC).
And speaking at the official renaming ceremony of the CMA on Friday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness noted that among the training tools at the facility are two simulators, which will aid in training youth who utilise the facility to drive heavy-duty vehicles.
He too stated that such training will place young people in good stead for getting jobs both locally and overseas.
Training programmes to be offered at the Caribbean Military Academy will also include electrical installation and other vocational programmes, which will appeal to unattached males in Flanker and surrounding communities.