BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – INDIVIDUALS enrolled in the People Empowerment Programme (PEP) are receiving a golden opportunity to hone skills and talents which they possess, and which could be used in their personal advancement and that of the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis.
The areas of training and certification are varied. However, this article would focus on the construction industry and a particular company which is in the process of training close to 20 persons in that field.
All Solutions International Inc. – located at the C.A. Paul Southwell Industrial Site – is a design-and-build company which endeavours to encompass all aspects of the trade, from conception to completion. These are inclusive of plumbing, construction and architecture.
It also is the training ground for 18 men and women under the umbrella of the PEP programme.
An entrepreneur Walcott Hillocks, in an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, explained that about a month ago, three persons from the PEP programme began training at his establishment and 15 others have since been added.
Asked of the benefits of the PEP programme and the training to the participants, Hillocks explained that they are being trained under the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) programme and upon successful completion would receive certification reflective of their level of competence.
“They are being exposed to and they are being trained in different aspects of training. This training is comprehensive and the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) is the system under which they are trained. And on completion they would receive certification from CVQ. So to put it simply, upon completion, successful trainees would receive certification which would indicate their level of skills that they would have attained throughout the course. That is a benefit for them.
“Also persons who are trained are being paid while they are being trained. So, of course, they are benefitting financially. It is a win-win situation and a good marriage.”
Hillocks also spoke to the advantages the project has to his company.
“I am convinced that the real problem that we have locally is that we do not have sufficient properly trained individuals and they always complain that the opportunities are not being afforded to us locally…We are getting a chance to work with individuals, see their potential and at the end of the day have an opportunity to use or to employ the people who have been successful and who would have shown the level of competence we are looking for.
“This was my real incentive for offering to facilitate the training. We are looking for, as the US says, a few good men and women of steel. That would put us way, way over the top.”
Any expectation that the trainee population at All Solutions would comprise of the majority of men were shattered, with about 72 percent being female.
Hillocks told SKNVibes that he welcomed this especially since women’s perspectives are more detailed and different to that of men in specific stages of the design and build process.
“I am happy to say I have already seen a few women of steel. From my perspective, I would always give to the females, especially when it comes to the finishing end of the business. It is fair to say that the female eye sees things from a different angle and in greater detail than the male eye, and that is just good.
“And it we could get greater participation in the finishing section of the manufacturing line from women, I am of the belief that that will be a plus for the industry and the country as a whole, because all of these things will have a domino or ripple effect.”
Hillocks told this publication that the participants are currently engaged in the theoretical aspect of the six-month course and described their attitude and work ethic as “commendable”.
