Roadtown, Tortola - It was an evening of excitement and pride for the 25 apprentices who participated in the Department of Youth Affairs and Sport’s Summer Apprenticeship Programme as they received words of praise and encouragement from their host employers and the Minister for Education and Culture Hon. Andrew Fahie.
Honourable Fahie congratulated the apprentices for their achievement and tenacity. “Successfully completing an apprenticeship programme takes intelligence, dedication, focus, commitment and hard work,” the minister exclaimed.
He added, “apprenticeship programmes offer not just a job but a career. Apprenticeship is one of the best ways to acquire work experience and training to establish yourself in a career in skilled trades.”
Minister Fahie said the success of the programme was already evident as four apprentices namely Messers. Mathew Hazell, Brentfield Lettsome, Chelstone Welcome and Keyon Fahie were hired by their respective employer. He also spoke about the benefits of being an apprentice, one of which is working with people who genuinely understand the industry and have a wealth of experience that they can pass on to the apprentice.
Assistant Director for Youth Affairs, Mrs. Persia Tobin-Evelyn also praised the apprentices for a job well done and for displaying professionalism at their respective work places.
“The aim of the programme was to introduce young persons ages 16 to 25 to the trade skills and to open doors for those persons who realised that this was something they wanted to do long term,” Mrs. Tobin-Evelyn said.
She thanked the host organisations for their willingness to participate in the programme and for imparting their knowledge and skills to the apprentices. “Through this programme we were able to build networks with our host organisations and it is incumbent upon us as a department to reach out to private organisations in order to be successful in an initiative such as this one,” she said.
Apprentices and employers were given the opportunity to give brief highlights of the programme. In general employers urged other organisations to get involved in this type of programme which gives young people the opportunity to not only learn about the trade but about the world of work.
The programme, which ran during the months of July and August and was first instituted in 2006, combines hands-on skills training and classroom instructions. Some of the areas to which participants were exposed included telecommunications, welding, carpentry, auto-making, electrical wiring, veterinary services, water sports, marine charter, hardware and the paint industry.
Part of the mission of the DYAS is to cultivate an environment through policy formation, programme development and community partnership where every young Virgin Islander is equipped and empowered to be a healthy and active contributing member of society
British Virgin Islands News