A GROUP of artisans and apprentices were on Wednesday evening honoured when the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) Competency-Based Vocational Training for Employment held its award ceremony titled “Apprentice in Focus” at the Pegasus Hotel.

Delivering the keynote address, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection Keith Scott in congratulating the honourees, said BIT is approved and licensed to provide training and the ministry welcomes the critical roles played by the masters in apprenticeship schemes.

BIT has been in partnership with the private sector to produce skilled persons through apprenticeship programmes. Scott related that although the programmes are relevant, apprentices must embrace innovation since things have changed over the years.

BIT Chairman, Clinton Williams said the board which has been in existence for 108 years, provides training to satisfy the needs of the labour force within the industrial sector.
The country, he said, still have youth labour market challenges as there is not always access to quality jobs.

He noted that there is need for youth accessibility to a stable career and pointed out that ExxonMobil has since employed some of the graduates from the BIT programmes.
According to acting Chief Executive Officer/Secretary Richard Maughn, BIT has also settled 39 disputes involving apprentices and 180 persons in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six have been trained in the apprenticeship scheme.

At the end of the ceremony which featured steel pan music by Ras Camp Williams and a cultural item performed by Roy Stewart, the masters were awarded with master’s licence and nine artisans and apprentices received special awards.