INTRODUCTION
Jermali Demitri Pierre, who is a 21-year-old from the western community of St. Joseph, Dominica has excelled during his training on the Plumbing course at the Adult Education Division (AED), Dominica and funded by UK aid through the SkYE programme. Jermali had only just started his own plumbing business when members of his community told him about the course and helped him to get enrolled.
IMPROVING SKILLS
Jermali learning the skill of pipe threading
Even though Jermali already had some experience in plumbing, he told us he had learned a great deal from the training delivered by AED. He said, “This course helped strengthen my skills, I’ve learnt about household facilities, the right measurements that pressure lines and waste lines should be for face basins, toilets and shower fixtures”.
Jermali also talked about additional benefits that came about because of the training, in addition to his improved competence and professional development, including more job assignments, a broader customer base, and economic stability, and greater self-confidence. Jermali said, “This training has taken my business to another level. Clients feel safe knowing that I’m trained, so it gets me more clients, bigger jobs and more experience”. When asked about how his family feels about him taking the training, Jermali said “My family was quite glad that I decided to become certified in plumbing because there aren’t many skilled young men in my community”.
THE FUTURE
Jermali looks forward to the future with much enthusiasm and anticipation. His business has now been enhanced by the improved quality of service and efficiency he offers, all as a result of the training. One of his dreams is to be economically stable so he can provide support to this family and by extension, his community.
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.
