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HEART Trust Selects Training squad for WorldSkills Olympics in Canada

Jamaica has selected a group of ten individuals to train for the next WorldSkills International Competition to be held in Calgary Canada in September 2009. The team, which was chosen by WorldSkills Jamaica, an arm of the HEART Trust/NTA, will be trimmed to five nearer to the competition. The WorldSkills Training Programme to prepare Jamaica was officially launched on October 4 at the Corporate Offices of the HEART Trust/NTA in Kingston.

The chosen group, from institutions of training across the island, were short-listed after displaying highly commendable competencies in their respective skill areas at the WorldSkills Jamaica Competition held at the National Arena in Kingston in April 2008. In his opening remarks, Project Manager for WorldSkills Jamaica, Gregory Wint highlighted the relevance of this step in the context of having Jamaica's representatives adequately prepared to perform at the highest possible levels. He noted that the WorldSkills event is very competitive and that the comprehensive training programme was needed to improve Jamaica's performances.

"The launch of the WorldSkills Jamaica training programme signifies and reinforces the commitment of the HEART Trust NTA to preparing and presenting a workforce whose competencies can stand tall against the best of the best in the world", said Wint.

Meanwhile, Jamaica's official delegate to WorldSkills and National Programmes Director at the HEART Trust/NTA, Kevin Mullings, called for more exposure of this event from the media to make Jamaicans aware that there are skills training opportunities available for them to hone their talents. Mr. Mullings noted that sending a Jamaican team to the WorldSkills competition is an investment and is in keeping with the strategic objective of the HEART Trust/NTA to develop a competent Jamaican workforce, capable of performing at the highest global standards.

He noted that over 27, 000 persons visited the National Arena in April 2008 during the staging of WorldSkills Jamaica, a significant increase over the previous event held in 2005.

"WorldSkills is more than just a competition. It is focused on building investments so that we can improve our productivity and our competitiveness in the context of the global marketplace. Training and development of our people also form the basis of achieving the goals set out in Jamaica's 2030 vision," said Mullings. Executive Director of the HEART Trust/NTA Donald Foster in giving his charge to the short listed competitors implored them to "use the training opportunity to lift performances to world standards and use the opportunity to keep the Jamaican flag high.

He reminded the candidates about the reality of our time when only the best will survive based on a very competitive global marketplace for jobs and urged them to aim to do their best.

One of the core values of the HEART Trust/NTA is the establishment of partnerships. In light of this, the National Training Agency was pleased to announce that tool and equipment distributors Deryck A. Gibson Limited will be the first private sector company to accompany the HEART delegation to a WorldSkills Competition. Project Coordinator of Deryck A. Gibson Limited, Damian Gravely noted that his company has been in partnership with HEART since the Agency began operations in 1982. This partnership includes the provision of equipment and tools for training programmes, work experience and now, the sponsorship of scholarships. The latest partnership will see Deryck A. Gibson sponsoring the training of twenty HEART instructors at the Bosch tool factory in Michigan, USA. Technical Delegate to WorldSkills, Grace McLean says the training of the Jamaican WorldSkills delegation will continue until the time of competition from September 1 to 7 in Calgary Canada next year.

Ten trainees were selected from different skill areas and will be guided by five experts in the fields of tiling, web design, IT/PC network support, hairdressing and cooking. Five competitors will be selected after rigorous training at different HEART Trust/NTA institutions across the island. Jamaica was the first English-speaking Caribbean country to become a member of WorldSkills International and has already competed in international skills competitions held in Finland and Japan respectively. Jamaica has also distinguished itself by winning a global bid to host the General Assembly of WorldSkills International in 2010.