YTEPP centre opens in Moruga

LAUNCH SMILES: Tertiary Education Minister Fazal Karim poses with students of YTEPP at the opening of its training centre in Moruga on Friday. —Photo: SUE-ANN WAYOW

Muser Stoute wants to learn skills that could help him do his own electrical wiring, technological work and improve his talents.

It was for this reason the 19-year-old has enrolled with the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme (YTEPP).

Stoute, who lives in Moruga, will be one of the first group of students to use the first YTEPP centre in Moruga.

On Friday, the centre was officially opened by Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training Fazal Karim.

The centre is located at the Lewis Inniss Memorial Baptist Church at Fifth Company in Moruga.
The launch of the Fifth Company Training and Enterprise Academy is a collaborative effort with BGTT, Petrotrin, the church and the ministry.

Stoute said, “The YTEPP programme was very good. The YTEPP programme is very beneficial. You get to learn all different types of skills whether you want to learn them to make money or just so that you will know what to do if something happened in your home, or something needs fixing. At YTEPP we are more like a family.”

Karim said the ministry was working to increase the level and types of skills offered to people so that they could earn more money.

He said the country could not expect to be competitive if certain skills were not developed.
Karim said there must be a demand for training and education.

”If it is not what the economy requires, what we are going to experience is what I describe as discouraged graduates. The discouraged graduate will add to the saturation of persons who have pursued programmes of training and study, who have graduated successfully and who can’t find jobs.”
The minister encouraged those present to make use of the programme to change the socioeconomic development of the country.

Nigel Forgenie, YTEPP’s chief executive officer, said it cost about $300,000 to refurbish the area of the church that will be used. The centre is outfitted with a computer lab, child care lab, kitchen and areas for building and electrical programmes.

Also present was Member of Parliament for Moruga Clifton De Coteau, who used the opportunity to lament the estimated 255 landslips in the area. De Coteau toured the area with Local Government Minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan.

Express