Best for Less/DSS Trading Ltd Launches Scholarship/Apprenticeship Program
By Joy Mills- Ward
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
Basseterre, St. Kitts: Best for Less/DSS Trading Ltd Launches Scholarship/Apprenticeship Program.
In a small ceremony to mark the launch of the “Best for Less/DSS Trading Ltd Scholarship Apprenticeship Program”, T-Jé Dolphin made history by becoming the first 5th former to receive the prestigious award.
This Scholarship/Apprenticeship program seeks to give the students financial assistance to the tune of EC$1000.00 toward the purchasing of books, uniforms, and school related materials.
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| Mr Noah Mills, Mr Stanley Knight, Mrs Lucinda Dolphin, Mr Anand Samtani – Managing Director Best for Less, Mr T-Jé Dolphin Scholarship recipient, Mr Patrick Welcome – Chief Education Officer. |
L-R: Mr Anand Samtani Managing Director of Best for Less/DSS Trading Ltd handing over 1st half of EC$1000.00 Scholarship grant by cheque to Mr T-Jé Dolphin Basseterre High School Student and 1st Best for Less/DSS Trading Ltd Scholarship/Apprenticeship recipient. |
Additionally, students are earning their own pocket money and gaining hands-on experience working on Saturdays, Public Holidays, Easter, Summer and Christmas school breaks.
Present at the ceremony were Mr. Anand Samtani, Managing Director of Best for Less/DSS Trading, Mr. Stanley Knight of the Basseterre High School and a member of Scholarship Selection Committee, Mr. Patrick Welcome, Chief Education Officer, and Mr. Noah Mills, Marketing Consultant attached to Best for Less/DSS Trading Ltd and a member of the Scholarship Selection Committee and chairman for the brief ceremony and Mrs Lucinda Dolphin and her son T-Jé Dolphin, the first recipient of the Best for Less/DSS Trading Ltd Scholarship/Apprenticeship Award/Grant.
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| L-R Mrs Lucinda Dolphin – mother of Scholarship recipient, Mr T-Jé Dolphin Scholarship recipient, Mr Patrick Welcome – Chief Education Officer making closing remarks, Mr Anand Samtani – Managing Director Best for Less |
L-R: Mr T-Jé Dolphin receiving parting token from Mr Anand Samtani
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In a time when the Kittitian employer is starting to require more from school-leavers than just a CXC certificate, Best for less/DSS Trading Ltd in collaboration with Basseterre High School and National Skills (formerly known as Youth Skills) joined forces to spearhead a one-of-a-kind Scholarship/Apprenticeship Program.
~~Adz:Right~~ Much has been said about school leavers not being well-rounded enough to fit seamlessly into the corporate world after leaving the classrooms. Incidentally, more students are leaving school without actually all the forms.
Mr. Stanley Knight of the Basseterre High School, Mr. Maurice Knight, Director of AVEC (Advanced Vocational Education Center) and Mr. Fritzroy Wilkins, Director of National Skills Program, put their heads together to come up with criterion for selecting the deserving student/candidate for this Scholarship/Apprenticeship award. Best for Less/DSS Trading Ltd were elated to be part of this program and came forward financially in support of it. .
Several things were looked at besides academic ability. These included values such as honesty and traits such as industriousness, punctuality and good leadership skills. T- Jé Dolphin was selected from a field of 6 possible candidates.
The Scholarship/Apprenticeship programme is aimed at 5th form students who show promise but have slipped through the cracks in the existing educational system who could in lay-mans terms be seen to be overqualified for A.V.E.C or National Skills (Youth Skills) but under-qualified for CFB College due to their academic showing. Some students are very good vocationally but such is not reflected in the exams taken.
The Apprenticeship part of DSS Trading Ltd Scholarship programme will feed directly into the C.V.Q (Caribbean Vocational Qualification) programme being administered by AVEC and Basseterre High School which was created in response to a mandate given by the Ministry of Education earlier in this school year. ~~Adz:Left~~
Students selected for C.V.Q program will have to be hardworking and have no disciplinary problems in order to be chosen, as they will be required to move between the Basseterre High School Campus and the AVEC campus. Evaluation reports will be sent from Best for Less/DSS Trading to the Administrators at the Basseterre High School and AVEC as part of the assessment and grading system used to complete the CVQ Program.
In brief closing remarks to the small gathering, Chief Education Officer Mr. Patrick Welcome stressed that he believes in second chances when it comes to educational opportunities for every citizen of the Federation, regardless of race, creed or economic background. He said that he hoped other employers would see the value of this type of initiative and follow suit.
Mr. Welcome also wished Best for Less/DSS Trading Ltd continued success, and applauded them for leading the way by allowing students to come into the workplace and get the hands-on experience necessary to operate in the business world and at the same time a second chance to get a better education in terms of CXC O’level certificates.
