DIQE engineer interns with China Railway

Gemmond Maynard, a junior Civil Engineer with the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment (DIQE), Tobago House of Assembly (THA), has started a three-month training programme on management processes and best practices for mega projects with China Railway Construction Caribbean Company (CRCCC).

A release from the Division said greater value for money in locally managed infrastructure projects is the targeted outcome from this internship programme.

“Training at this level is a practical win for Tobago…Among other benefits, over time it is expected to improve the capacity of the Assembly’s technicians to oversee large projects, increase efficiency on project sites and generate cost savings,” said the Division’s Secretary, Kwesi Des Vignes.

Maynard started his internship on December 6, 2018, assigned to the Arima hospital project.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in September 2018 between the THA and CRCCC for knowledge transfers to local professionals.

This followed a trip by Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles and Des Vignes to the China-Latin America and the Caribbean (CLAC) International Exposition in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China in November 2017.

CRCC’s presence in Tobago dates back to 2007, when it built the Scarborough General Hospital in Signal Hill. The company is currently working on the Arima Hospital project and the Curepe interchange project in Trinidad.