By the end of December, 80

residents of Spanish Town, St Catherine, will become certified cosmetologists

when they graduate from a training initiative being undertaken in collaboration

with the HEART Trust/NTA.

The initiative, dubbed the

‘Business, Education, Sports and Scholarships and Training (BEST) programme’,

is the brainchild of Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia

Grange, who is also Member of Parliament for Central St Catherine, which

includes Spanish Town.

The programme also

provides training for other uncertified tradespeople, including bartenders,

welders and auto mechanics.

Addressing a meeting of

the Rotary Club of Spanish Town at the Police Officers’ Club in St Andrew on

Tuesday,October 15, Grange said that the programme is in keeping with efforts

to spur the growth of Spanish Town and its environs by empowering residents

through training and educational initiatives that will enable them, through

their own endeavours, to contribute to the development of their communities.

“What I find in Spanish Town [is that] more people want to learn, and more people want to be occupied in a productive way,” the Minister said.

Minister of Culture, Gender,

Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange (left), is presented with a

certificate of appreciation by President of the Rotary Club of Spanish Town,

Gail Dixon, following a meeting of the club at the Police Officers’ Club in St.

Andrew, on Tuesday (October 15). Minister Grange was guest speaker at the

event.