THE JPS Foundation has launched its Power Up community action project in conjunction with Excelsior Community College. This, as the foundation looks to light the way with access to employable skills and entrepreneurial empowerment.

The five-month-long training programme will see 50 enrolled participants being given the opportunity to acquire knowledge on electrical and solar installation, numeracy and literacy, entrepreneurship, and life skills.

Registrants are drawn from Seaview Gardens, Grant’s Pen, August Town, Queensborough, and Seivwright Gardens.

“It is not just a programme, it’s a promise. A promise to help bridge the gap between where you are and where you dream of being,” remarked Sophia Lewis, head of the JPS Foundation, at the recent launch held at the Mountain View Avenue-based tertiary institution. “We light the path to a future with us, giving you the right tools, training, and support to not only dream but to achieve.”

Speaking to a rapt audience inside the school’s lecture theatre, she outlined that the training being offered under the community college’s Centre for Professional Development is intended for in-demand fields “to prepare participants for immediate job opportunities and also place them at the forefront of sustainability development”.

While the new skills-learning programme’s cohort primarily comprises youth participants, the energy company’s foundation head pointed out that deliberate efforts were made to incorporate more mature individuals.

“Whenever we do these programmes we always receive such feedback as ‘What happen to us? We might have missed our opportunity, why is everything for 35 and under?’ so we have included a few persons over 35, as we recognise that inclusion is important,” she explained.

Welcoming this collaborative initiative with the JPS Foundation was Excelsior’s Principal Philmore McCarthy, who told the audience of eager programme enrollees, “This is an opportunity to change your life trajectory by getting certification that can be used locally and internationally. You are at the right place. The Excelsior Community College, over these 50 years, has proven itself to be a beacon of hope. This is an opportunity for you to become your best self.”

He said the social responsibility of successful companies like JPS in Jamaica was very important.

“It is through these collaborations that we will be able to transform the lives of our citizens and help Jamaica achieve its Vision 2030 goal,” the college’s top administrator said.

Excelsior, according to McCarthy, is currently the only ISO-certified community college in the island endorsed by the Bureau of Standards and by the University Council of Jamaica with institutional accreditation. This means “every certificate that you receive at this institution is fully accredited… because it is coming from a source that is recognised for its standards, for its approach, and the mechanism that is used to deliver and the assessment processes that are involved”.

For 20-year-old Naquwan Nunes, a graduate of Aabuthnott Gallimore High School in St Ann, registering in the project is a pivot from his initial career goal of becoming a nurse.

“I am currently pursuing a backup plan in case the nursing does not work out. I enrolled in the programme to see what exactly they offered and how I can use it to better myself, as well as use it as a stepping stone for myself to be successful. My plan after the completion of this programme is to hopefully apply for a job with JPS, where I am provided with the opportunity to utilise the information I was taught,” shared Nunes, who is on leave from his nursing studies.

Meanwhile, for 37-year-old Angel Baker, a resident of August Town and mother of three children, it has been difficult trying to find employment. She embraces the opportunity to become part of the JPS Foundation’s Action project. Unable to complete her education at Meadowbrook High School due to pressing circumstances at the time, Baker shared her expectations of her current enrolment.

“It’s hard for persons in my age group who are high school dropouts not being qualified to get employment. I hope to achieve a better mindset going through the training programme and attain my certification. My plans are to further my education so I can get a proper job.”

Scheduled to get underway later this month, the 20-week Power Up community action programme includes a mentorship component for participants with life coaching provided by JPS’ Volunteers on Location to Serve (VOLTS).

Also lending support is the VM Foundation that activated 30 VM bank accounts for participants in attendance at the programme’s launch. In addition, the organisation will provide financial literacy for those enrolled with the JPS Power Up action project.

Samantha Charles, chief executive officer of VM Foundation, hailed the forged association with the JPS Foundation’s project.

“Our foundations share a commitment to uplifting communities and contributing to the development of Jamaica’s youth, making this collaboration something we simply could not pass on,” she said. “To us at VM Foundation it just makes perfect programmatic sense that this project is so designed to increase employability and entrepreneurial capacity, empowering beneficiaries to transform their lives and, by extension, their communities.”

Charles explained that during the action project’s training session module on entrepreneurship, “the VM team will engage the participants in a deeper financial conversation on banking and how it will impact their day-t0-day lives and business ventures”.