CAMBRIDGE, St James – A job fair scheduled for February next year, and which has so far attracted 40 local and overseas-based players in the hospitality industry, is expected to improve the chances of Community Training for Empowerment Programme (CTEP) graduates seeking employment.

According to CTEP coordinator, Claudette Clegg, representatives from the 40 participating players in the hospitality sector will conduct interviews exclusively with CTEP graduates.

“A major highlight of the celebration is that we will be having a job fair exclusively for CTEP trainees and graduates, which will feature 30 overseas employers and 10 local employers conducting interviews,” Clegg remarked.

CTEP, accredited by HEART Trust/NTA, Kelinworth, was conceptualised in 2004 by Derrick Kellier, who has been the member of parliament for South St James since 1989. Nearly 1,000 persons have so far graduated under the project, which involves training in housekeeping, food and beverage, and conversational Spanish.

Under the initiative, Kellier, who is also the minister of labour and social security, uses a portion of his Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to pay half the cost of the classes during training, which runs for six months and is held once per week at the Mount Reece Methodist Church and the Maroon Town community centre, while the students pay the remaining portion.

CTEP’s 10th anniversary celebrations will commence with a church service. The celebrations, which also feature seminars and expositions, will climax with a reunion party.

Activities to mark the milestone were on Sunday announced by Glegg, during a graduation exercise for the 11th batch of CTEP trainees at the Reece Methodist Church in Cambridge, St James.

One hundred and seven trainees were enrolled in the 11th batch, which included 103 females.

Meanwhile, Kellier charged the graduates to spread the word about the programme, which he described as a “best-kept secret”.

And guest speaker at the ceremony, radio personality Khadine “Miss Kitty” Hylton, during her motivational presentation, promised to assist in highlighting the programme.