LaTonya Linton and Laura Matthews, Gleaner Writers.
THE HEART Trust/NTA and Caribbean Cement Company Limited held their skills training certificate award ceremony Tuesday at the Jamaica Conference Centre.
Over one hundred students were awarded certificates for completion of Phase 1A of their skills training programme. Students were certified in the areas of carpentry, steel fixing, masonry, painting and plumbing.
The Rockfort Vocational Training Centre (VTC) is the enterprise based training office for the HEART Trust/NTA. Since its inception in 2000, the skills training programme has trained and certified more than 200 persons.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
Mr. Robert Gregory, Executive Director of the HEART Trust/NTA, said all the graduates are trained to international standards to stay ahead of the game and remain competitive.
"We have made a commitment to Jamaica to have half of the Jamaican work force trained to the international standards by the end of 2008," Mr. Gregory said.
The graduates are the first to complete the training associated with the Caribbean Cement Company's Expansion and Modernisation programme.
Dr. Kingsley Stewart, guest speaker at the function said success is a mindset.
"Successful thinking is a way of being. You are on your way to being competent, successful persons," Dr. Stewart, lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of the West Indies, told the graduates at the function.
He added that problems are a reality in life and that a difficult life is no excuse for bad choices.
Dr. Stewart encouraged the graduates to stay strong as it was a very important journey that they had embarked upon.
