OBSTACLES DURING EARLY EDUCATION
Kennelia Guy hails from the community of Glen located on the Southern side of St. Vincent. She is 18 years old and is the mother of a one-year-old son. She attends the Kingstown Technical Institute (KTI) where she is pursuing a UKaid funded programme in Electrical Installation. While in form 4 at secondary school, she became pregnant and as a result, was unable to complete her secondary education. “I did not continue school after I got pregnant. After having my son, I did not have the money to do so and I didn’t have anyone to leave him with.”
USING NEWLY ACQUIRED SKILLS
Kennelia learned about the SkYE programme through her brother, who was a former student at KTI. He was very instrumental in getting her to register and attend the course. She is currently a CVQ Level 1 Electrical Installation trainee whose ambition was always to become an electrician. “That was one of the things I always wanted to do ever since I was in primary school”.
She believes that the programme has given her a second chance at achieving one of her educational goals which is to obtain a skill. Her intention is to complete some CSEC subjects after she finishes the programme but she also plans on obtaining a job to pay for the subjects. She explained that the programme has re-focused her interest in continuing her schooling. “The training has given me another chance to get a qualification. I also want to get my CSEC subjects and a job when I am finish training to pay for classes and the subjects. Coming to the training has given me the feelings for school again.”
Kennelia’s family was very supportive of her participation in the programme. “They are the ones who have been encouraging me”, she says.
LIGHTING THE FUTURE
Upon successful completion of the programme, Kennelia hopes to obtain employment under the supervision of an experienced electrician. She also plans to go one step further and complete the CVQ Level 2 in Electrical Installation and to obtain her professional license. Her ambition is to become an electrical contractor in the future.
“After I finish training, I want to work to get some more experience; hopefully I can get a job with an experienced electrician or with BRAGSA or VINLEC. I want to do Level 2 and to get my wireman license so that I can get my own jobs.”
Kennelia is of the view that the overarching benefit of the programme is obtaining a skill set which will serve her in good stead in the future. She is of the opinion that the programme would allow persons in her situation to grow to be an independent, skilled professional thereby becoming marketable. Her aspiration is to obtain decent employment, “Having a skill is very important, it will allow you to work for yourself or to get a good job, once you have work you would be able to support yourself and your family.”
FACTS
Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) is a four-year, UKaid funded programme to provide certified skills training for 6,000 disadvantaged young people, including those challenged by disability, in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The Programme will develop a more productive and inclusive workforce in sectors with good economic growth potential.
SkYE is supporting national training authorities and training providers to make systemic improvements to the development, delivery and quality assurance of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in the four focus islands through targeted capacity building.
