Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 14, 2024 (SKNIS): Participants in the ELEVATE Programme are being transformed to become productive citizens and partners in nation-building based on the technical and vocational training offered, coupled with soft skills development.
The participants are engaged in various businesses and work assignments covering areas such as landscaping, car rental, catering and area beautification. However, avenues created by the programme directly channel other operations to support the national agenda.
On the March 14th edition of InFocus, Naeemah Hazelle, Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, noted that a collaboration between ELEVATE and the C. F. Bryant College addresses the government’s renewable energy drive.
“We have a course at the college, and of course, we have five spaces in that course for our members,” she stated. “So we have five members from ELEVATE who have joined that course learning how to build and repair solar panels. So we are trying to prepare our members to be able to meet the needs of our national agenda.”
ELEVATE’s Director, Major Kayode Sutton, added that persons involved in crop production and livestock farming also contribute to the Federation’s goals in agriculture.
“Through the programme, we were collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture and a lot of persons identified that their interest is in agriculture, so now they are planting food and are able to contribute to the food security of the nation,” he stated.
This aligns with the 25 by 25 agenda, which promotes boosting local food production to reduce the food import bill by 25 percent by the year 2025.
Permanent Secretary Hazelle noted that building these skills will improve the marketability of ELEVATE participants to find a job or start a business, eliminating the demand for foreign expertise.
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