–Minister Norton urges Kuru Kuru Training Centre students

“AIM for the sky, take the opportunity you have here to ensure that it serves you, develops you, until you can use that knowledge that you have gained to achieve the goal you have set for yourself,” urged Minister of Social Cohesion George Norton.

Minister Norton paid a visit to the Kuru Kuru Training Centre on Wednesday, where he was able to have face-to-face interaction with students of the institution hard at work in the various technical fields that the school offers to the general public.

At present, the school facilitates 218 trainees, between the ages of 16- 25, who hail from each of the 10 administrative regions. The school provides training in 10 core disciplines, namely: electrical installation; Carpentry; Masonry; class Furniture making; Motor vehicle repairs; Welding and fabrication; Plumbing; Garment production; Data operations and refrigeration and Air Conditioning.

Minister Norton disclosed that from what he saw, the school is having a huge impact on the lives of the trainees, saying, “Well I’m impressed, there’s no doubt about it. I’ve seen the boys making blocks, involved in the actual mixing of the cement and they all seem excited. I’ve listened to the explanations given to me by the trainees of the motor mechanic area, who spoke as though they have been there for a long time and it’s only their first week. In the plumbing area, we’ve got persons who know what they are about; they have demonstrated it to us and also in the garment manufacturing area. But most of all I’m impressed with the information technology area where for the first time the trainees have internet services available.”

He further went on to state that he can see that the training centre is fulfilling that vision of his excellency, President Granger, of making the Kuru Kuru Training Centre into a youth campus where persons can come and create a future for themselves.

Norton went on to state that the Ministry of Social Cohesion is moving forward with ensuring that the centre continues to receive support for advancing its facilities, in terms of updated equipment and machinery, to facilitate further growth of the institution.

Senior Training Officer at the Kuru Kuru Training Centre, Ernestine Wade-Ramsay, explained that the training centre has moved towards extending what is offered to the trainees, and stated that it will continue moving in this direction in the future saying, “Apart from the 10 skills, we offer a driver’s education programme; we teach the trainees entrepreneurial studies and project management. Trainees also are engaged in debating competitions sports and games competitions; we have an inter-house athletic championship, track and field, spelling bees and dorm competition among other things.”

She further said that the administration is trying to put systems in place so that the trainees can receive competency-based education and training and receive the Caribbean qualification certification (CVQ) at the end of the 10 months.

Acting director of youth at the Department of Youth, Leslyn Boyce, said that her department aims to raise standards at the institution, so as to allow all of the trainees the same level of education as any other tertiary institution in the country. She further stated that the Department of Youth is currently working to provide the facility with some updated machinery and equipment, and some additions to the ones they already possess.

“I’m very happy that we are moving where we are moving, thanks to the honourable minister who would have embraced and ensured that the requests that are more or less made by the managers are met. As you would have noticed for the first time in 20 odd years since the existence of the institution, we are having internet here. And I know that before 2020 we would reach the other goals we have set with regard to facilitation standard. Currently, another four classrooms would be certified for CVQ level one, and we are still to have some more.

So we are moving expeditiously to get certain systems in place to ensure that we are able to complete all we have planned,” said Boyce.