By L. K. Hewlett
The SSMC Transition Management Office has organised two new workshops for displaced sugar workers.
Facilitators from Barbados and St. Vincent are conducting the trainer of trainers and sewing workshops in St. Pauls and at the Gardens in McKnight.
The trainer of trainers workshop endeavours to teach local persons how to go about training others in housekeeping while the other workshop teaches commercial sewing techniques.
Caribbean Development Bank undertook the task of contracting the facilitators and significantly subsidised both workshops.
At the close of the sugar industry in July 2005, some 1250 persons were left unemployed. Since then the Transition Management Team, headed by Project Officer Keith Philip, has been creating opportunities for the former sugar workers.
To date, approximately 122 persons have participated in re-education programmes where they have been taught skills that would enable them to remain gainfully employed members of society.
“The Transition Office has created many programmes and workshops aimed at assisting and empowering the former sugar workers. However the onus has been on those persons to attend and participate in these initiatives. 125 persons have so far made use of training opportunities. Most times you have from 10-15 persons attending each workshop,” Philip told The Observer.
Philip said there has been training in fields such as the processing of bees’ wax into candles and soaps, craftwork, plumbing, hairdressing, carpentry/joining, landscaping, air-condition/refrigeration repair and leatherwork.
Philip noted that it was harder to find areas of training and opportunity for the older women of the industry, some of whom did not wish to work at hotels etc. Some of the training enabled some persons to become entrepreneurs, taxi drivers, bus owners, and craft vendors.
Reginald George, TMO Human Relations Officer said the programmes have been very beneficial and extremely effective thus far.
“There are persons who have taken classes at The Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College in subjects such as Math, English, Principles of Business and Accounts, Information Technology and Biology. Some of them will sit CXC exams this year. Others still, have obtained taxi licenses and some have gone into public transportation. With this new start there is no telling how far they can go and how much they can achieve,” George said.
A survey was conducted yesterday for the purpose of determining the employment status of former employees.
This survey was done at all community centres across the country.
Philip said he believed the Transition Office was making slow but sure progress. He made mention of a few other upcoming projects they were preparing to implement, like training in agro-processing. He continued to say the transition was a medium term process and one cannot expect rapid or overnight results, whilst assuring the former sugar workers ‘that there is life after Sugar.’
