SEVERAL hundred residents from communities in northwestern St Ann are getting an opportunity to improve their academic qualifications and make themselves more marketable through a skills training and night school programme.

The initiative, which is being funded through the constituency development fund of member of parliament Dr Dayton Campbell in partnership with Red Stripe’s Learning for Life Foundation and Bars to Go, was officially launched December 13 at St Hilda’s High School Auditorium in Brown’s Town.

Areas of training include computer repair, food and beverage, food preparation, housekeeping, bartending, waitering, customer care, merchandising, cashiering, principles of business, mathematics, accounting and business administration.

Minister of education Ronald Thwaites pledged the ministry’s full support for the initiative.

He encouraged the participants to make full use of the opportunity being offered to upgrade themselves.

“The more skills you have, the better you are qualified, the easier it is going to be for you to either get a job or to create a job for yourself,” he said.

He made an appeal for the inclusion of English language in the classes to be offered, noting that English is very important for employment and advancement in Jamaica and the world. He stated that persons who are proficient in English are 30 to 40 per cent more likely to be considered for employment over someone without such competence.

Dr Campbell said already over 800 persons have registered for the skills training aspect of the programme, while another 700 have expressed interest in the night school component.

He said that provision has also been made to accommodate the disabled community.

Dr Campbell said that he has been placing focus on education and training as he strongly believes that these are key ingredients in empowering people and addressing the ills of society.