Royal Visit 2022 | Duke impresses at-risk youth
Published:Wednesday | March 23, 2022 | 9:42 PM
Janet Silvera\Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
With youth engagement among their priorities, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge renewed the pride and place of hundreds of at-risk youth at the Caribbean Military Technical Training Institute in Montego Bay, St James this afternoon.
The institute, which is run by the Jamaica Defence Force, provides routine training in general construction, welding and fabrication, electrical installation, commercial driving operations as well as the automotive trade.
Showcasing their skills to the royals, 21-year-old Javaughn Green, who is studying motor vehicle repair, said at first he was nervous, but became excited when the Duke asked him to explain how he troubleshoot a code for a sensor on the car he was fixing.
“Once he spoke with us, everything became natural. He was excited and I was excited,” Green stated.
Having spent the last two years in training, the youngster said his new profession prevented him from staying in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, which is where he started his career.
“I don't like to talk much, so I left my job at a call centre to venture into this area,” he told The Gleaner.
Tiandre Brown, who is studying motor vehicle repairs, got the opportunity to show how he was able to diagnose faults created by his instructor.
“I used the scanner to manipulate the fan on the radiator,” Brown stated with pride, having given sound explanation to Prince William, who showed immense interest in his ability to solve the problem.
The youngster wants to work with Toyota Jamaica, while Green, who is expected to graduate in a few months, will work at a garage to gain added experience in his field.
Twenty-two-year-old Omar Hanson, who wants to become certified as an air condition technician, spoke glowingly of the Duke.
“I felt we were recognised for being among the best in the industry. We are being taught to be better individuals in the society and their visit confirmed this for me,” said Hanson, who travelled all the way from Elderslie in St. Elizabeth for the training.
The school, which officially opened its doors in western Jamaica during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, has some 250 students enrolled.
Head of the institution, Major Georgette Grant-McDonald, said that the students were at-risk and unattached.
She believes the school was selected based on the fact that youth and community engagement were very important to the Duke and the Duchess, “and I am sure that was one of the things that sparked their interest.”
It is also one of the strategic efforts of the Jamaica Defence Force.
“We see it as a means of changing the culture of crime and violence in our country. When we empower our youth with a skill, with workplace readiness, and with positive thinking, it gives them an option, it gives them hope and it influences a disinclination in engaging in undesirable activities,” Grant-McDonald said.
Their Royal Highnesses visit, she is convinced, will help the youth to build confidence that the training they receive at the institution is recognised.
The royal visit also brought out prospective employers.
“It's a very good thing coming out of the visit,” said the Major.
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