Denbigh, Clarendon – The Jamaica 4-H Club has received a $200,000 industrial stove from Jamalco for use in the club’s Food Preparation and Floral Arrangement training programme.

The stove was officially handed over last week at the Denbigh 4-H Centre in Clarendon, where the training is conducted.

“We thank Jamalco for their good gift. We thank them for this gift of developing Jamaica,” said executive director of the 4-H Clubs, Lenworth Fulton.

Pamela White, community development administrator at Jamalco, described the donation as an example of the partnership between the two organisations.

“The company has invested just under $200,000 in this industrial stove, but greater still, we are investing in the lives of many Jamaican men and women who will be doing well in the culinary arts,” she said.

Giving an overview of the training programme, home economics training co-ordinator, Sylvia Porteous, explained that it was implemented in February 2002 and has trained 30 persons who have been certified by the National Council on Technical Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET).

She said that the aim of the programme was to empower young people with life-coping and culinary skills in food preparation, especially for the hospitality industry.

The course covers three main areas, including general catering, cake and pastry preparation, and floral arrangement. Entrepreneurial skills are also taught to assist trainees to start income-generating projects.