Literacy centers are needed in Trelawny to develop trainable individuals for upcoming job opportunities in the parish, according to the Trelawny Chamber of Commerce president, Dennis Seivwright.
“The human development is the greatest investment we can ever make and that is the area we have fallen short on,” Seivwright revealed. “We need to net everyone whether or not they can read and write, and train them and maybe HEART Trust/NTA is not the one to do that.”
Trelawny is poised to become a fledging tourism and business hub with the impending multi-billion dollar Harmony Cove luxury resort. Travistock Group in partnership with the Jamaican government will develop several hotels, three world-class golf courses, a gaming lounge and other luxury amenities. The parish is also slated to receive a major cruise shipping port.
However, the Chamber president fears that manpower to fill jobs on the completion of Harmony Cove development and the port will have to be sourced outside the parish due to lack of qualified personnel.
“I think the state agencies need to step up to the responsibility. Because if they (developers) are coming to Falmouth and need for example 100 persons for training but they can only find ten that are trainable, they are going to go outside the parish to find the others.”
With a population of over 73,100, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) reports that the parish of Trelawny has an overall literacy rate of 76 percent.
Seivwright confessed that currently no private or public literacy centres exist in Trelawny. In an effort to generate awareness on this issue, he said the Chamber has embarked on a public education drive to inform investors on the investment opportunities of launching literacy centers in the parish.
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Thursday, October 8, 2009
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