The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

PARTICIPANTS of the government’s National Training Agency (NTA) are crediting the programme with giving them the confidence to enter the Bahamian job market.

During the NTA’s first graduation ceremony yesterday at the Trinity Activity Centre, Stapleton Gardens, more than 300 young adults received certificates of completion following 14 weeks of skill based and behavioural preparation to cope in various service industries.

The City and Guilds certified courses trained the job hopefuls in areas including: food and beverage, food preparation, housekeeping, office procedures, retail knowledge and auto service.

Twenty-five-year-old Tiara Bethell, who enrolled in the housekeeping programme, said with its completion, she now expects to take full advantage of all opportunities that are available.

“I feel proud,” she said, “the training went good (and) I learned a lot from the teachers. They take their time out to teach me well and everything just went pretty good. I can say it has changed my life because it has given me an opportunity and the qualifications to get a job. I know what I am doing and I think it is going to be good for people because it is a learning process and you learn every day. I did not have a job before the programme, but now I am looking forward to finding a job.”

Another participant Anthony Thompson, said he will use the skills acquired in the food and beverage sector to do his part to better the Bahamas.
 “My experience,” he said, “was wonderful. The facilitators did their endeavour best to ensure that we got the proper training.
“Only thing I could say right now is we are just all anticipating and anxious with getting these jobs. (Now it’s time to) get on forward and let’s keep making a better Bahamas.”

Prime Minister Perry Christie urged the students to do well at their respective jobs which will enable the government to give fewer work permits to foreigners. He said the government was committed to investing in Bahamians, not because it was a campaign promise, but because the idea was to help young people to help themselves.

The second class of the NTA will begin on February 10. Officials said 430 hopefuls are ready for training when the programme starts.