ST JAMES, Jamaica – The Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will facilitate the enhancement of training, assessment and upskilling opportunities for hundreds of residents across the parish.

The partnership involves the Human Employment and Resource Training/National Service Training Agency (HEART/NSTA) Trust, and the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort and Spa.

The MOU was signed during a ceremony at the Grand Palladium in Hanover on Wednesday.

It coincides with the 300th anniversary celebration of Hanover’s incorporation as a parish.

Outlining the terms of the arrangement, Grand Palladium’s Manager for Social Responsibility, Mitzie Smart, explained that the training, assessment and upskilling programme was operationalised, with HMC accepting “responsibility for the three Ps – People, Place and Promotion”.

This meant that the corporation recruited participants and assisted with their pre-training orientation, identified the locations in communities where the training would take place, and promoted the programme within the seven parochial divisions.

For its part, the hotel group retrofitted the training locations, and is providing refreshment and course material for trainees, and will also be facilitating transient internship for the participants, who would not be bonded to work at the hotel after their training.

Smart said HEART/NSTA would be leveraging its human training and development expertise, and providing the trainers, assessment and certification for the courses offered.

Deputy Mayor of Lucea, Councillor Andria Dehaney-Grant, told the attendees that she was pleased with the arrangement and the programme’s implementation coinciding with Hanover’s parish incorporation anniversary celebrations.

She thanked the Grand Palladium Hotel Group for conceptualising the programme and commended HEART/NSTA for coming on board and elevating the initiative’s profile by providing the trainers and assisting with the trainees’ orientation.

Councillor Dehaney-Grant also saluted the HMC for buying into the opportunity, which she said will uplift residents of Hanover.

“This is an avenue by which we will make a difference in the lives of many of our people. We will go out and [will be] training persons in all of our seven… divisions to ensure that they are marketable… [and] are out there stepping forward to make a difference in this parish,” she added.

HEART/NSTA deputy managing director, Dr Cheryl McLaughlin, said through the partnership, the trust had agreed to cooperate and share information on matters of mutual benefit regarding human development.

She said the trust would “cover [the] cost for the training, assessment and certification for agreed programmes offered by the NCTVET, to include customised job qualification and [National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica] NVQ-J.”

Dr McLaughlin highlighted the collaboration with Grand Palladium and the HMC in conducting orientation sessions for participants prior to the programmes’ commencement, emphasising that HEART would cover the costs for facility audits for the respective training locations.

The trust will also undertake uploading of participants’ information on the Training Management System (TMS) and collaborate with the Grand Palladium and HMC to develop suitable training schedules as well as work with the custodian to monitor, guide and support the project.

This includes providing the necessary forms, based on agreed targets and outcomes.

Dr McLaughlin said HEART will also collaborate with the Grand Palladium Jamaica and HMC teams to plan a launch of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding and identify trainees for work experience and apprenticeship programmes at the resort.

The deputy managing director said other provisions will include all the necessary documentations for insurance while the trainees are on work experience and apprenticeship, collaborating with HMC to notify candidates of the dates and times for training and assessment, awarding certification to candidates through NCTVET, and partnering to conduct programme evaluation, where necessary.

The first batch of approximately 60 trainees from four of the seven divisions in the parish, commenced the programme on November 13.

Training is available online as well as face- to- face, starting at 6:00 pm to accommodate trainees who are employed as well as those with family responsibilities. Participants are not required to pay for their training.

– JIS