BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - STUDENTS of the Saddlers Secondary School are currently learning, first-hand, the 'ins and outs' of the work force, which comes as part of their school's Work Experience Programme (WEP).
Speaking yesterday (Dec. 4) with Police Public relations Officer (PIO) Inspector Lyndon David, he explained that the WEP is a collaboration between the Saddlers Secondary School and the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF).
According to David, the Programme is a one-week course where four fourth form students, aged 14 to 15 years, are attached to various Departments of the RSCNPF and are being tutored in the day-to-day operations of those divisions.
"The Departments they are attached to were specifically selected because of the roles of the Departments - the Public Relations and Telecoms Department, the Criminal Records Office, the Crime Scene Unit and the Processing Department, the Criminal Investigations Department and the Traffic Department.
"These are some of the areas of the RSCNPF which we consider to be highly attractive to persons who would like to be in the Police Force or even civilian staff," David said.
He went on to explain that the Programme is not limited to the RSCNPF, noting that the students who are spending the week with the Police Force chose that field of work.
David said that the intention of the Programme "as stated by the school's Guidance Counsellor Clifford Pemberton, is to help the nation produce better equipped future employees for businesses in our Federation".
The PRO also said that, at the end of the Programme, the students would be assessed in five areas - Appearance, Attendance, Communication, Industry and Social Skills.
"They [students] have to understand that these are some of the things that are dire to not just the Police Force but the workforce on a whole. They have to learn how to present themselves to work, they have to come to work regularly, they have to know how to communicate with persons, their willingness to learn, staying on task and taking initiatives etc.
“These are just some of the things employers are expecting from their employees and these are a small portion of what the students are learning this week.”
When asked about crime scene visits, David said the students might be attending those of a mild nature.
"They may attend certain scenes but anything that deals with graphic stuff we have to protect them because they are still children, so we will not expose them to that. But a break-in or a crime scene such as that, they will come and see how we check around, dust for prints and take photos etc. They may be taken to that."
David said so far the students are progressing well despite their shy beginning. He also said that he sees the possibility of them being recruits in the future, as they display the traits needed to succeed in that field of work.
The WEP began on Monday (Dec. 3) and is expected to run for one week, ending on Friday (Dec. 7).
