GRADUATES OF HEART/NTA institutions in the South East region have been encouraged to "invest and develop businesses" by two private sector leaders, Thalia Lyn of Island Grill and Clarence Clarke, President of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association (JMA).
This advice was given at a graduation ceremony for some 580 trainees at the Jamaica Conference Centre, recently. Many of the graduates are either self employed or have found employment.
Mrs. Lyn, Managing Director of the successful food chain, Island Grill, told the graduates they should go into business for themselves, and strive to be "one hundred per cent Jamaican, and not to copy what other have done".
Using Island Grill as an example, she said that although her company operated restaurants for 10 years, it was not successful until Jamaican products were added to the menu.
"We put our wonderful Jamaican seasoning on the chicken, and came up with "Jerk Chicken on the grill, and it was an instant success," she said. That achievement, she noted, gave the company the motivation to expand its business locally and internationally.
Outlining the business process, Mrs. Lyn noted that the company borrowed money from the World Bank through the Jamaica Exporters' Association, and obtained grant funding from JAMPRO. "Since then, we have not looked back," she said.
Mrs. Lyn emphasised the need to be resourceful and urged the graduates to "look out for funding and training opportunities". Island Grill now operates a restaurant in the United Kingdom, and will open another in Florida, soon. "We get calls from around the world. People are enquiring about franchise from places such as Canada, Germany, Japan, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago," she noted.
Ever on the lookout for "world class" Jamaican products, Mrs. Lyn invited the graduates to present their "baked goods and sewn products to the company, for possible marketing".
In his remarks, Mr. Clarke said that HEART/NTA and the JMA were business partners, pointing out that the technical competence of graduates contributed to the growth of the manufacturing sector, and ensured the development of a quality labour force.
Presenting a report outlining the performance of the institutions, Heather Gray, Manager of the Jamaica German Automative School (JAGAS), said they had achieved a success rate of 80 per cent and above.
Miss Gray said that new skill training courses introduced to include Level 2 garment construction and Level 1 drapery at GARMEX; computer technology at Boys' Town; and under the School Leavers' Training Opportunities Programme, participants were trained in offset printing.
In an interview with JIS News, self employed garment construction graduate, Nebodean Bennett, said she was already designing and sewing garments for persons in her community. "I wanted to increase my earnings," she explained.
Another graduate, Euanita Thomas, said that employment opportunities motivated her to do garment construction. She taught at GARMEX for a while before moving on to supervise garment classes at the Bethel Apostolic Church on South Camp Road.
Institutions taking part in the graduation ceremony were the Rockfort and Boys' Town Vocational Training Centres, the National Tools and Equipment Institute (NTI), GARMEX and JAGAS.
