As some people across the nation continue to struggle with the recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, and there is much talk of self-sufficiency and security, comes a news item — without fanfare and flourish — which speaks to knowledge in action.

We are told in today’s edition that HEART/NSTA Trust has engaged its students to employ the skills learnt to renovate a house for a senior citizen.

The news item reveals that the task was completed under the entity’s National Development Project, which is part of the TVET in Motion programme.

“The approximately $4-million housing project was undertaken by HEART/NSTA trainees and involved completing and correcting critical areas of the original unfinished concrete structure,” we are told.

The scope of work included rough casting and rendering of exterior and front walls, installation of electrical wiring and plumbing fittings and fixtures, building of roof and ceiling, installation of flooring, completion of tiling, installation of doors and windows, construction of a wall at the front of the building, and painting — all skills taught through HEART’s colleges.

It is not often enough that we hear of Government-funded education programmes manifesting in directly changing the lives of the most vulnerable among us.

Every so often there is talk of value for money being gained from funding tertiary education programmes simply because the majority of the citizenry do not think there is visible national benefit from the teaching, learning and research that culminates in academic degrees.

They point to their experience that the country still has to call on overseas minds when real life-changing action needs to be decided on.

HEART/NSTA Trust has managed to, even in this one programme, change the tone of that conversation. It is hoped that more news will be forthcoming of similar successes, as the agency has indicated that it will be spread across its six regions.

Managing director of HEART/NSTA Trust Dr Taneisha Ingleton said the project demonstrates the agency’s ability to respond to the real-world needs of society while carrying out its corporate social responsibility.

“The Trust is not only about training and building competencies. We also look at what is happening in society, and we ensure that the work that we are doing is aligned with the national vision, and that is why we are proud to be handing over this house to [67-year-old] Ms Shields,” she said.

Other skills to be engaged on the project are trainees in welding, interior decorating, and electrical installation under the guidance of skilled HEART/NSTA Trust instructors.

The conceptualisers of this project need to be celebrated for seeing this through to completion, noting that this is the stuff on which sustainable, independent nations are built.

And, while the trainees are not remunerated for all tasks, this hands-on project served as an assessment model, as well as a community service initiative promoting volunteerism and skills development.

In the midst of celebrations in Paris, France, as the curtains come down on the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, Jamaica has much to be proud of as a nation on the move.