Upholsterer Robert Larmond (left) and his apprentice Omar Williams hard at work at his shop in Bog Walk, St Catherine. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

With thousands of young boys leaving school with no academic qualification and no skill, it is surprising to upholsterer Robert Larmond that he is unable to find young men who want to learn the trade.

For almost 20 years Larmond has successfully kept his small upholstering business going in Bog Walk, northwest St Catherine, and he has an open offer to train young men, but most have ignored the invitation.

"Them youth don't want anything, them want quick money and them don't tek up my offer to train them," Larmond told The Gleaner recently. "You see like, in my time, me sacrifice to learn the trade. Them not into that."

He added: "I learnt the trade from a man up Linstead and I suffer a lot and sacrifice a lot to learn the trade that has been good to me."

Apprentice

Larmond said that, in the 18 years he has operated from his small shop in Bog Walk, only one young man has expressed an interest in learning the trade.

He is 17-year-old Omar Williams, who has been an apprentice with Larmond for the past three months.

Williams, a student at the Jamaica Foundation For Lifelong Learning, spends his down time learning the upholstery trade.

"It a work out good. Me really like the trade and me see say this is a good trade and me willing fi learn," Williams said.

For Larmond, having Williams is not a problem as it does not slow down his work which has provided him with a reasonable living over the years.

"Sometimes it up and down but like now it coming to Christmas you get more work," Larmond said as he pointed to the items in his shop waiting to be repaired.

"I do everything from settees to car seats, carpeting of cars, car roofing and anything else, and me a make a money, which allow me to survive."

arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com