THE Mico University College is throwing a lifeline to young men interested in pursuing a career in education through PUMP – the Pre-University Men’s Programme. PUMP is designed for young men who having completed the CSEC programme, did not pass the requisite number of subjects to matriculate into a tertiary education programme. After the one-year engagement, they are expected to transition into an undergraduate degree programme at The Mico.

One of the two main goals of the PUMP is to provide young men from vulnerable communities with an alternative pathway, thereby reducing the risk of involvement in crime, violence and antisocial activity. Acknowledging the high number of female teachers in the classroom and by extension the insufficiency of male role models, the second goal of PUMP is to increase the number of male teachers in Jamaican schools.

The focus during the one-year programme is preparing students to sit exams for the additional subjects needed to matriculate into the degree programme. Students are allowed to do up to three subjects. Students pay a portion of the cost for the programme as it is heavily subsidised. There is a full-time option (two days per week) and a part time option (evenings) and registration is ongoing.

Another key component of the programme is the development of soft skills including personal development, conflict resolution, public speaking and financial management. Students are also taught entrepreneurship and participate fully in sport and other activities as students of The Mico University College. Psychosocial support for the students is also built into the programme, to ensure that the students can maintain a healthy school/home life balance and strengthen their coping skills.

There is no shortage of success stories associated with PUMP and several people who transitioned to the degree programme have graduated and are contributing in meaningful ways to the educator sector.

Mikhail McKenzie, head of the Industrial Technology Department and senior teacher at Oracabessa High School in St Mary transitioned from PUMP to the degree programme in 2015. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology in 2019, has since then completed a Master of Science in Educational Administration and currently serves as a Justice of the Peace.

McKenzie has returned to his alma mater and has high praises for the programme.

“PUMP is a great programme for young men. It rescued me from an uncertain future and prepared me excellently for the degree programme,” he said. He made special mention of the mentorship component, highlighting that it helped the young men in his cohort to be grounded and psychosocially fit, so they could benefit fully from the programme. In his current role, he mentors the youth in his school and community, carrying on the tradition of PUMP.