WHITEHOUSE, Westmoreland

UNEMPLOYED adults, aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners turned up in their numbers at the Source Centre in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, recently for an empowerment seminar staged by Sandals Whitehouse and the Moesha Wallace Foundation.

The event, which was held under the theme: “So you are unemployed,” was aimed at exposing unemployed adults within the western region, to the job offerings and training opportunities available in the hospitality industry; entrepreneurship ideas that they can implement; including ‘stay at home job prospects’, as well as the financial assistance available to them to start a business.

“These are challenging times for us as a people. Unemployment rate is at 14.2 per cent, up from 13.8 per cent in the third quarter of 2014. We often take for granted that people know about the opportunities out there not only to get a job, but to also create jobs for themselves, but they do not. It is our hope that the topics explored in the seminar have opened their minds to the many ways that they can become gainfully employed,” shared Sandals Whitehouse’s General Manager Courtney Miller.

According to Public Relations Manager at Sandals Whitehouse Jervene Simpson, the initial target audience for the event was parents and/or guardians of physically and medically challenged children who often depend on the Moesha Wallace Foundation and its partners, including Sandals Whitehouse and the Sandals Foundation, for assistance.

“We originally selected this group because we saw where many of them were unemployed and were finding it difficult to seek employment outside of the home as they have to stay and take care of the special needs of their child/children. We, however, realised that quite a number of persons outside of this focal area expressed interest in participating in the seminar when we promoted the event, so we ended up opening our doors to other unemployed persons and individuals who work but are struggling to make ends meet or are hoping to start or build on their business ventures,” she explained.

During the seminar Sandals Whitehouse’s Landscaping and Environment Health and Safety teams made detailed presentations and demonstrations on various farming techniques people can practise with limited gardening and animal rearing space, and how they can make profit from this. They also engaged attendees in demonstrations on the different methods of plant propagation and what types of plants each technique was suitable for.

Resort Training and Development Manager Kadie Ann Wright told the participants about the various job offerings and encouraged persons to sign up for the Sandals Hospitality Training Initiative, a six-week course from which participants graduate with a certificate for soft and technical skills training acquired in various departments.

Meanwhile, people interested in exploring their creative side were also exposed to ideas for craft item creation and the avenues to earn a living from it, by craft vendor Joy Samuels.

Also present were members of The Community Workers of Jamaica Co-operative Credit Union, who offered advice on the various savings and loan options available at their institution.

Participant Renae Clarke said the seminar has impacted her greatly, noting that she now has a new outlook on her life.

“I am happy I came because I was sitting at home, not knowing what to do next. I learnt a lot of ways that I can go about helping myself and I am ready to do just that,” she said.

George Wright, businessman and councillor/caretaker for the Savanna-la-Mar North Division lauded Sandals Whitehouse and the Moesha Wallace Foundation for staging such an event.

“I am one of those persons who came from nothing to something and entrepreneurship took me out of that rut. This event gave persons a new way to look at things and to not just sit at home and worry about not having a job, but doing something with their time that could help them to make some money. I salute these organisations for taking the time to share their knowledge and expertise with our community members,” Wright said.