ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – WINDALCO Limited is reporting that it has employed 50 tertiary students as part of the company’s Summer Employment Programme, at an investment of $5 million.

WINDALCO confirmed that the students have been spread across all company locations spanning three parishes – St Catherine, St Ann and Manchester, and they will be able to attain valuable practical experience in different fields such Engineering, Information Technology, Finance, Agriculture, Communications and Human Resources.

The students will be engaged for a two-month period.

WINDALCO’s Senior Training Administrator, Roselyn Porter, said the initiative provides the opportunity for students to apply acquired knowledge to real world experiences and develop specialised skills.

“This programme shows our dedication to the development of our youth as we expose them to different work disciplines and help them to understand and respect the demands and requirements that would be expected of them once they enter the working world,” Porter stated.

Communications, Arts and Technology student, Andrew Shaw, has expressed gratitude to the company for the opportunity.

“I am really appreciative as this experience has given me a newfound sense of responsibility. Being immediately thrust into work from my first day on the job, helped to cement the fact that I was no longer in school but in the working world,” Shaw said.

Additionally, University of Technology Mechanical Engineering student, Immanuel Flemming, says he now understands how important it is to have first-hand experience.

“Having on-the-job experience is very vital as not everything you learn in class will expose you to how different machines work. I’m really grateful for the chance to move from theory into practical application and see how things actually function on site,” he said.