LIFE CHALLENGES
Quinson Zephr is a 20-year-old single young man who lives in Woodford Hill, a community in the North Eastern part of Dominica. Quinson has been raised by a single parent and life has been tough in his household. In addition to his disadvantaged background, he has a learning disability that renders him slower to learn than his peers, including experiencing great challenges with numeracy and literacy. But Quinson believes that “where you come from does not determine who you are”.
KEEN TO LEARN
Quinson attended the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC) training at the Centre Where Adolescents Learn to Love and Serve(CALLS).
Quinson (4th from left) learning Fish Storing skills
Diligently travelling 16 miles from Woodford Hill to Portsmouth every day, Quinson demonstrated his willingness to learn despite his serious disability. So, when his teachers at CALLS told him about a UKaid programme, he was extremely excited to be a part of it. “My mom was happy that I was doing the course as it will help me to have my own business and earn a living in the future”, he said.
“Some of the skills that I learned throughout the training were, how to make organic manure, how to make organic pesticides, the different parts of a seed, how to prepare soil before planting, how to plant a seedling properly and how to remove weeds efficiently. We also had a demonstration on grafting and budding”, Quninson recalls.
Having come from an agricultural and fishing community, Quinson also has a keen interest in fishing. During the fishing component of the training, he learnt how to identify and name different fish species as well as the parts of a fish. Additionally, he learnt how to fillet, clean and package fish.
Cleaning a fish as part of the Basic Fishing Technology training.
His training included a visit the St. John’s Fisheries Complex where the day’s catch is handled and the ice machine is available for fishermen to purchase ice to store their fish.
BUSINESS PLANS
When asked about his future plans, Quinson quickly responds: “My plan is to have my own business and get my food handler’s permit because it’s required by the laws of the country. Knowing how to keep my business place clean and attractive are some of the things that will help my business to succeed”.
Quinson states that he would also like to start a small business that will focus on the production of organic fertilizer. He feels that this is a healthy option for him, his family and the community as there are many farmers who would like to use organic fertilizer but they do not have the time to make it. He has already started practicing some of his acquired skills in making his own organic pesticides and applying the important step of labelling his products, as he was trained to do.
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.
