TANK-WELD Equipment (TWE) has donated a forklift to Trench Town Polytechnic College (TTPC). Managing Director John Ralston explained that the company believes in giving young people of Jamaica as much training and education as possible.

“Tank-Weld has always been a company that has tried to give back to our communities. We recognise that the more you put into youth is the better it is for everybody… the more they can earn money, the less chance for crime. The more you can train them, the better they can earn. The whole society gains from it,” he explained at the recent handover ceremony.

The dual-fuel forklift was given to the school in collaboration with Hangcha, the supplier of the equipment. Hangcha provided the forklift for donation free of cost while TWE coordinated and covered the shipping duty and first servicing charges. Additionally, through collaboration with Rymax Lubricants, Trench Town Polytechnic College will be provided free oil and lubricants for the forklift over the next three years.

TTPC Principal Dr Dosseth Edwards-Watson said the donation will afford the institution the ability to train hundreds of students who are currently on the waiting list to receive forklift operator certification from TTPC.

“This will enable students who are of a lower socioeconomic background to tap into the multimillion-US-dollar forklift operation industry,” she said.

Similarly, Member of Parliament Mark Golding said continued development of technical and vocational training is essential to the delivery of skills to young people who are unable to pursue traditional university education.

“As we seek to build an economy that can stand up in the world and trade with the world in goods and services, we must train our people so they can provide the workforce and management that would attract that kind of investment here,” said Golding.

He mentioned that the country’s unique positioning on a major trade route through the Panama Canal, especially as logistics becomes a bigger part of Jamaica’s economy, makes it even more vital for young Jamaicans to become qualified in these skills.

The forklift donated has a versatile model, with an array of features. Kirk Finnikin, sales manager at Tank-Weld Equipment, explained the unique capabilities of the forklift donated and how the model can be used to ensure universal training for participants in the TTPC programme. The model is the most popular forklift in the market, with features such as triplex mast, super elastic tyres, along with safety devices such as a flasher and back-up alarm among other features that give the operator good dexterity. Finnikin added that once the students operate the forklift as trained, a high level of safety is afforded to the operator and those around.