BASSETERRE ST. KITTS (March 29, 2010) -- Minister of Youth, Glenn Phillip, has observed that the statement ‘the youths are the future of our nation’ is certainly exemplified by the conceptualism and implementation of the Youth Empowerment through Skills (YES) Programme.
“It certainly required a visionary approach to recognise the important role of the programme of such magnitude within our society, and credit must be given to the Hon Prime Minister Dr Denzil Llewellyn Douglas in this regard,” said Phillip.
The Minister made the remarks Friday night, March 26, when he addressed a dinner hosted by YES Programme trainees to mark the programme’s first anniversary at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel. “Permit me therefore to congratulate the Hon Denzil Douglas, and the then Minister of Education and Youth, the Hon Sam Terrence Condor and the officials who have helped to build a solid foundation for this essential programme.”
He told the assembled guests that the event marked a significant milestone in the achievement of the programme, which has already positively impacted the lives of over 900 youths in the society, who have successfully trained, saying it reflected the words of the late civil rights leader of the United States of America, Dr Martin Luther King, when he said, ‘I have a dream’.
As a Minister of Government, Phillip assured the trainees that he was fully committed and personally ready to provide the necessary support to the programme. “I want to encourage all our young people to take seriously the training and development opportunities provided by the YES Programme, which will have a positive impact on our society, through the lives of you young who represent our nation’s future,” he added.
The anniversary dinner, which was prepared and hosted by hotel trades trainees under Michael Guishard at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Dominic Stevens, assisted by Jasmine Isaac-Lake, at the Keys Community Centre, was graced by the presence of the Governor General His Excellency Dr Cuthbert Sebastian, Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas, and Permanent Secretary Lloyd Lazar among other senior officials.
Manager at the YES Programme secretariat Leslie Connor in affirming that the programme is continuing noted that since its launch by Prime Minister Douglas in March last year over 1400 students (including those under training now) had benefitted and said that currently it is preparing students for CXC examinations in June of 2010, and January 2011.
“We are also preparing other trainees for the internet and computer course certification,” commented Connor. “This course will be done online in a few months. Certification in a number of other disciplines will be done by (the Department of) Youth Skills commencing April 2010. The trainees require criteria or qualifications, one of which is 80% of class attendance.”
The Steering and Implementation Committee, as well as the YES Secretariat, are making sure that the programme outline are implemented and a module presented for each discipline is followed so that at the end of each course, the trainees’ satisfaction is gained, explained Connor.
“I have said to the trainees over and over, ‘you are here for one thing and one thing only: To learn’,” remarked the YES Secretariat manager. “So you now have the opportunity to milk the instructor until he or she falls to the ground, but then you must resuscitate them and commence the milking process again.”
While thanking the hotel trades instructors, Michael Guishard, Dominic Stevens and Jasmine Isaac-Lake, he reminded the trainees that when they would have completed their training, and commence work, their assessment would not only be done at the workplace but it would also be done outside of the workplace. “So you are expected to carry yourself in respectable manner at all times. This may determine your future.”
