JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Career Advancement Programme (CAP) is impacting young people significantly.
Delivering the keynote address at a graduation ceremony for more than 3,000 CAP students on December 3 at the National Indoor Sports Complex in St. Andrew, Mr. Green pointed out that the number of students receiving certification under the programme is growing from the previous 30 per cent rate.
“We now certify 60 per cent and above. We want to see more students who do our CAP programme becoming fully certified,” the State Minister told the audience.
While encouraging students to strive for success, Mr. Green said that too many of them are getting sidetracked with antisocial behaviour. He urged school administrators to ensure that expulsion is the last resort, and even if a student must be separated from a particular institution, care must be taken for their continued educational development.
“We are always looking at the interest of the child, and it is our responsibility to find some other institution for that child to continue his or her educational journey,” he said.
Mr. Green commended CAP instructors for believing in the students, noting that “the success that we see is as much for them as it is for the students”.
The graduates were successful in their National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica (NVQ-J), the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), and City and Guilds examinations in June 2018.
Morant Bay High School in St. Thomas, was awarded the Most Outstanding CAP School. Jahniel Francis from St. Mary Technical High School was awarded the Top Mathematics Student, and for English, the award went to Paul Bogle High School student, Kadijah Osbourne.
The CAP is an initiative of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, to provide opportunities for students aged 16 to 18 to gain valuable training and skills for the job market, or to further their education.
It also offers job-ready training and provides exposure to life-coping skills, personal development, civics, personal and national values, and the tenets of good citizenship. The programme is offered at selected secondary schools, private skills development centres and private/public tertiary institutions across the island.
CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), presents teacher at the St. Thomas-based Morant Bay High School, Moesha Brown, with the trophy for being the Most Outstanding Career Advancement Programme (CAP) School. Occasion was a graduation ceremony for over 3,000 CAP students, held on December 3 at the National Indoor Sports Complex in St. Andrew.