Spanish Town Skills Training Centre serving the community for 20 years
FOR ALMOST 20 years, the Spanish Town Skills Training Centre has been providing training for professionals, at-risk youth, non-certified and unskilled employees, and employers, in partnership with the HEART Trust/NTA.
Student at the institution, 19year-old Alexis Dixon, has high praises for the opportunities being provided to her through the centre.
After leaving secondary school, Dixon faced several job rejections owing to the lack of employable skills, but with one year of training with the institution, she is now a permanent employee with a business establishment in Spanish Town.
She noted that not only was she provided with the training opportunities, but the centre also sought employment for her.
“I cannot give them enough money for what they did for me, or tell them a million thanks,” she stated.
According to Dixon, the principal and instructors at the school make concerted efforts to impart knowledge to the students, while also sharing life experiences as a way of encouraging growth and development.
“It really motivated me to push forward,” she added.
She also encourages young persons in and around the Spanish Town area to get their training at the centre.
“They should definitely come to the Spanish Town Skills Training Centre. Don’t hide, it is really a great place; and if you want to move forward, that is the place that you can go,” Dixon stated.
Early childhood development courses to be offered in January
LOCATED AT 56 Brunswick Avenue in Spanish Town, St Catherine, the Spanish Town Skills Training Centre offers training in areas such as commercial food preparation, levels one and two; and customer engagement at levels one and two. In January 2019, the school will offer courses in early childhood development.
For former student Raheam Bailey, he said he is grateful for the opportunity to have completed the level two programme in commercial food preparation, and the job that the institution assisted him to obtain. He shared that in the future, he hopes to become an executive chef.
Meanwhile, manager at the centre, Ruth James, stated that the vision to offer skills to youth from the area, and elsewhere, has been impactful.
“We have seen so many young persons whose lives have been changed, and they are doing very well, all over the world, in the hospitality industry, business process outsourcing, and at front desks at hotels. We are impacting a great number of persons,” she reasoned.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
James said that while the institution provides services primarily to students between the ages of 17 and 35 years, the school also continues to reach persons who are 35 and older.
She informed that on an average, 50 to 70 students are engaged in the day and evening programmes.
“We offer at least one month’s work experience, and on most occasions these persons have gained permanent employment with the places where they are sent for work experience,” the manager shared.
James lauded the HEART Trust/ NTA for providing training opportunities for young people to gain the necessary skills needed for the work environment.
“The standard of HEART Trust/NTA is international; you can go to most countries with their certificates and get a job,” the manager stated.