Under the Rose Town Construction Internship Programme, the Gore Family Foundation has successfully trained 12 at-risk youth in the theory and practice of construction as well as in teaching interns soft skills that will be critical to their success in the working world.

Having started with 15 interns, they have achieved a completion rate of 80 per cent.

The Gore Family Foundation initiated the programme valued at over $20 million to benefit at-risk youth between the ages of 16 and 24 from the community of Rose Town in Kingston. Last Tuesday, May 24, the first cohort of 12 interns officially graduated, and a new group of interns from the community are expected to join the programme in September.

Jennifer Jones, a sociologist/social researcher who did a mid-term evaluation of the programme, concluded that it “has to date been effective. The interns have undoubtedly matured in self-confidence, a fundamental requirement for optimal learning and self-development, in their understanding of the discipline and behaviour needed for the world of work, how to work as a team, [and] how to see things from the perspective of others – in other words in their life skills.”

She continued, “it is clear, from the testimony of their impressive site supervisor, that they are well on their way to mastering a range of construction skills. One only has to observe them on the building site, even as a lay person, to recognise that this is happening.”

Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr Christine Gore, the main conceptualiser of the programme explained that the team is “impressed with our interns’ attitude, tenacity, and determination. They are now better positioned to get jobs as the courses they’ve pursued have added great value to their lives. Working on Gore Developments Limited’s Phoenix Park site, they learnt how to put theory into practice, and many now want to go into some aspect of construction, among other fields. Interns will matriculate into facilities and project management at UWI Open Campus, cosmetology at Excelsior Community College, mathematics at Mico, the Jamaica Defence Force, and pharmacology and real estate management at UTech.”

Gore added that “the internship programme gives at-risk youth a chance to become independent Jamaicans by offering training in construction, and also exposing them to training in areas such as business etiquette, time management, coping skills and alternative dispute resolution. This training is critical, as it provides the interns with the tools to conduct themselves appropriately in a business environment, resolve disputes, focus, and manage and deal with stress.”

Dr Gore said that the Foundation will make it a priority to maintain communication with and continue to support the interns as they move on to the next stage of their lives.

She stated that “the ripple effect that a programme like this one will have on bringing the Rose Town community together in the long-term remains to be seen.”