MONTEGO BAY, St James – The Community Training for Empowerment Programme (CTEP), a subsidiary of the South St James Social and Economic Development Trust, has graduated more than 230 people with certification in various skills over the last two years.

“In keeping with CTEP’s vision, which is to provide training opportunities and approved certification to enable citizens for personal development, I believe we have achieved a lot,” said Claudette Glegg, CTEP’s human resources manager.

She boasted that of the 230 trainees, 35 have participated in the overseas hotel work programme, while 57 have gained employment locally in hotels, guest houses and private homes. Several others, she added, are employed in other areas.

CTEP – the brainchild of Derrick Kellier, the member of parliament for South St James and the minister of labour and social security – is accredited by HEART Trust/NTA.

Since its 2004 inception, Glegg said a significant number of the people trained have received certification in housekeeping, food and beverage, and conversational Spanish. Plans, she said, are now well advanced to include training in landscaping in the programme curriculum.

“Within the next three years we are hoping to train about 1,000 more persons in various disciplines in spite of their religious and political background,” Glegg told the Sunday Observer.

Interviews, she added, are now being conducted for just over 130 people from the South St James constituency, who are desirous of being trained in subject areas on offer when classes resume next month.