Officials from the Education Ministry joined with PTA members, teachers and pupils to mark the successful end of the first year of an important project held on the island of Nevis. The proud gathering assembled to celebrate the achievements and witness the presentation of certificates to the students.

Connecting local government and civil society

At the end of the 2023/24 school year, the Education Department and Gingerland Secondary School and PTA signed an agreement with the Commonwealth Local Government Forum to begin a project, funded by the European Union and launched in August 2024. It focused on connecting civil society and local authorities for sustainable development though community engagement and enhancing vocational education. The project will continue until July 2026, and this recent midway point provides an ideal opportunity to take stock of progress to date.

The project sought to strengthen collaboration between civil society organisations and local authorities; while supporting sustainable development and community wellbeing. The plan was to achieve this by enhancing citizen participation in decision-making, increasing youth employment and economic growth.

Vocational training framework                                                   

To date, the project has helped build a formal partnership between civil society and involve the community in public service and decision making, by gathering important data; and it has established a framework for vocational training, specifically aimed at the 16 to 18 age group, helping them transition into the workplace. The training subjects, which range from construction skills to cosmetology, are also designed to tap into support for entrepreneurship and small business development by using this recently trained and local workforce.

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Students were reminded that this is the half-way point, with a further year of training ahead of them. They were also praised for piloting this project and acting as trail-blazers, acquiring skills that could be used by each individual to build a successful future. 

Excellent collaboration

CLGF Regional Manager, Ms Sandra Singh said: "The first year of this project has proved to be very successful. It is an example of an excellent collaboration by several partners: public servants, the PTA, teachers and, of course, the students. The skills the young people are learning will stand them in good stead on a personal level and in terms of contributing to their communities at large."