Workers taught to shine through jewellery-making

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – BEAUTIFUL and exotic jewellery pieces were on display Friday (June 19) at the Women’s Training Centre in the C.A. Paul Southwell Industrial Site.

They were the work of the nine women who participated in the Ministry of Gender Affairs’ recently concluded capacity building workshop. 

From Monday, June 15 to Friday, June 19, the women were instructed in jewellery-making by June Napier, a local jeweller. At the end of the weeklong session, participants proudly displayed their handmade bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

Speaking exclusively to SKNVibes, Gender Affairs Officer Celia Christopher said the participants were all former employees of the Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino, which terminated almost 100 employees in mid-April. 

An official statement issued by the hotel at that time stated that the global economic impact on the tourism industry had required the company to “take steps that more closely aligned with staffing needs in the realities of today’s business climate”.

Christopher informed that the workshop was a component of the government’s broader poverty alleviation initiative, aimed at improving the quality of life for impoverished communities through capacity building and support programmes. In keeping with that mandate, the Officer revealed there would be similar workshops in the future.

“The aim of the workshop was to help the displaced Marriott workers become self-employed, because the government cannot employ everyone. Although the Youth Empowerment through Skills (YES) programme has given many persons temporary employment, it was not able to cover the entire demand.

“In the future, we will focus on income-generating skills that are low in production costs, such as sewing and upholstery. It is our hope that once persons would have gained these skills, they would use them to make a living for themselves.”