IMAGE Training Centre (ITC) has partnered with Project STAR and Dragon Stout to outfit participants in Project STAR’s job employment programme to prepare them for interviews and be suitably attired when attending these.

Founder of ITC Charmaine Lewis said the partnership leverages its expertise in personal image management and professional development as well as its commitment to fostering economic independence among disadvantaged individuals.

“Together, we aim to reshape the life narratives of at-risk individuals across Jamaica, empowering them through holistic personal and professional development,” she said.

ITC, having operated the Jamaican chapter of the globally known Dress for Success — which targets and provides support for women in low-resourced circumstances — will, for the first time, outfit males under the clothing and accessories drive label, Suited for Success. With this partnership, Lewis said Suited for Success aims to collect nearly new career attire to help men step into the workplace with confidence.

“This alliance is more than a partnership; it’s a catalyst for change that promises to heighten self-worth, enhance employability, and engender socio-economic support within our communities,” she said.

Saffrey Brown, project director at Project STAR, in welcoming the partnership said this will assist Project STAR in advancing its employment programme and fostering the confidence of participants when attending interviews so that they have a better chance of landing the jobs.

Nathan Nelms, brand manager of Dragon Stout, affiliate company of Red Stripe, said the company was happy to facilitate the partnership.

Project STAR’s employment programme is designed to assist participants in a holistic way so as to get them to a place where they are sustainably engaged as formal workers within the Jamaican economy.

To date, over 80 people have been trained in job readiness in Kingston and Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.