A small fee given to youngsters who wipe motor vehicle windscreens at traffic lights is an insufficient act of appreciation for Sheleisha Kassie.

That pushed her to create Squeegee Academy International in June, which she said will help to improve the lives of windscreen wipers by offering them training in different skill areas.

“On my daily commute I would see them, and just by interacting with them about the reasons they are on the road and all of that, I figured that just giving them a $100 here or there was just not good enough,” she told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

The youngsters will engage in 10 months of skills training in areas including masonry, barbering, and painting. They will also learn mentorship and life skills such as conflict resolution and money management, said Kassie.

The programme will be a collaborative effort of the HEART/National Service Training Agency (NSTA) Trust and the Housing, Opportunity and Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme.

Kassie said the initiative was developed for the purpose of reorienting the minds of the young men.

“For me to have gone into this, I would have to be connected to it 100 per cent. A number of them have much potential but they may not have been given the chance. This is their second chance for achieving their potential,” she said.

The recruitment of youngsters ages 18 to 30 is set to begin in October before the launch of the programme in January 2022.

In the meantime, Kassie is encouraging businesses to support the initiative by offering resources and internship opportunities for the young men.

“Although we are going through all of this training, at the end we want them to be employed at different organisations or start their own businesses. We are seeking sponsors who will help to fuel the programme because we will be extending stipends to the young men,” she said.

National coordinator for the HOPE Programme, Colonel Martin Rickman, said the objective is to ensure the youngsters get training through internships in order for them to get a stipend and be certified and employable.

“These initiatives are always good for young persons. The intention is to set them on a path so they can do further training and gain valuable work experience. Let’s start working together to make a change. If it is even one person that a business is willing to sponsor, then we will work with that,” said Rickman.

People wishing to offer assistance may reach out to Squeegee Academy International at squeegeeacademyintl@gmail.com.