WOW prepares 100 for employment

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Division of Sport and Youth Affairs has celebrated the successful end to its 2019 World of Work (WOW) Programme.

One hundred trainees received their certificates for participation in the tenth cycle of the programme on Thursday, at the Ann Mitchell-Gift Auditorium of the Scarborough Library.

The programme is designed to help students between the ages of 16 and 18 prepare for employment opportunities, and comprised of a week of skills training, a day of interviews and a month of hands-on work experience.

In addressing the young graduates, the division’s administrator Gillian Titus warned: “You have opportunities that never before existed in Tobago; embrace them or lose them.”

Noting that the initiative’s objective has been achieved, programme co-ordinator in the Department of Youth Affairs, Julien Skeete said that this year's instalment stands as an outstanding milestone for the programme.

“It signals the tenth year of execution, having started in 2009 as an entity recognising the need to fill and to build that skills gap, within the context of our students that move from secondary school and transition to the world of work,” he said.

Representing the programme’s corporate sponsor, the Mt Pleasant Credit Union, marketing supervisor Judy Radgman commended the trainees.

“We have a good set of trainees here in front of us. They have dreams and we have to continue encouraging and supporting them. Mt Pleasant Credit Union is excited to be a key stakeholder in the World of Work Programme for 2019. This year makes it three years since our relationship has started and we want to thank the division for considering us to be a part of this programme.”