Vocation trainingfor 64 High School students at Caribbean Utilities Company
CUC welcomes13 high school students who are participating in the Company's4th annual Six-Week Summer Vocational Training Programme, whichcommenced on Monday, July 15th. Front row, from left: CUC's SeniorVice President & General Manager, Richard Hew; Trainees: KatrinaThompson, Shawn Solomon, Jerome Ebanks, Sean Jackson, Damien White,Chad Anderson and Channing Williams. Back row, from left: CUC'sTraining Officer, Edris Ocho; Trainees: Andre Gooden, Omar Clarke,Jerique Seymour, Justin Whittaker and Jerome Ffrench. Missingfrom photo: Neville Morgan.
The Caribbean Utilities Company's summer vocational training programmefor high school students, now in its fourth consecutive year,is reaping great rewards for the 64 high school students.
The six-week vocational programme is designedto provide high school students with an opportunity to gain invaluablehands-on experience in the electric utility industry. This communityinvolvement initiative was implemented in the summer of 1999 followingconsultation with representatives from the various high schoolsand other community leaders. It was felt that the Company couldmake a valuable contribution by providing opportunities for highschool seniors to acquire on-the-job experience in various vocations.
This year the programme commenced on Monday,15th July with 13 students representing three high schools - St.Ignatius, Cayman Prep, and John Gray High School.
For the first time since the programme wasestablished, a female student is a participant. A student of JohnGray High School, she is interested in the concepts of electricalgeneration.
Participants acquire vocational skills inthe following fields: mechanical, electrical facilities maintenance,substation maintenance, line construction, plant operations, welding,auto mechanics, materials management and customer service.
In addition to256 hours of on-the-job workexperience, the trainees are required to participate in a 24-hoursafety and fire prevention orientation and classroom trainingthat includes basic theoretical knowledge on diesel engine operationsand CUC's transmission and distribution system.
Mr. Richard Hew, CUC's Senior Vice President& General Manager, said he was pleased with the success ofthe vocational programme to date.
He said he was also pleased that they wereable to recruit Mr. Richard Jacob, a 2000 graduate of John GrayHigh School, who participated in the vocational programme in 1999and 2000.
In 2001, Jacob joined the Electrical MaintenanceDepartment as an Electrician Apprentice and attributes his decisionto return to work with the company to the practical experiencehe obtained during the two summers he spent with that Department.
"We are confident that the programmewill yield many more success stories for CUC and the wider community.CUC remains committed to making a positive and lasting influencein the lives of our young people. This programme provides us withan excellent opportunity for interaction and mentoring as we exposethe young participants to the world of work," said Mr. Hew.Edris Ocho, CUC's Training & Safety Officer.
Commenting on the concept of implementingtechnical and vocational training for high school students, hesaid: "We hope that by exposing these students to the realityof work, they will see the importance of linking skill developmentto academics in order to achieve success in their chosen vocationalfield.
"The programme is structured to showthat theoretical knowledge is extremely important as they mustbe able to explain how things work and why it is necessary forit to operate in a certain way to avoid exposing oneself to risks.We therefore expect the trainees to recognize that a general educationmust be the base on which they build a career.
"As we enter the third week of thesix-week programme we are very excited with the students' applicationto the work experience opportunities we have made available tothem and trust that they will leave CUC at the end of summer witha greater appreciation for the various careers that exist in theelectrical industry," he added.
Funding for the six-week programme, includinga weekly allowance of $150 for each of the 13 students, is providedby CUC and its strategic alliance partners, MAN B&W DieselAG of Germany, ABB Power T&D Company Inc. and R.W. Beck Inc.,both of the USA. These companies have been sponsors of the programmesince its inception in 1999.