About 42 young people from various parts of the island are now better equipped in computer skills after a training programme organized by the Youth Development Division.
The programme started in September 2014 where the young people were trained for two months and then assigned to different organizations on attachment for four months.
A de-briefing for the programme was held at the Youth Division Office in Roseau on Monday.
Youth Training Instructor of the skills training programme at the Youth Development Division, Caesarina Paul told Dominica News Online (DNO) that the de-brief was held to get feedback from the trainees on what their experience was like.
She said the Division has trained people of all ages in various types of skills from the traditional to non-traditional.
“Right now computer literacy is very popular because everybody wants to be computer literate,” she said.
Phil O’Brien, 22 of Tarreau who was assigned to Clear Harbor at Canefield as a Information Technology Technician, told DNO that he received a lot of experience from the training.
“My networking skills were advanced, computer skills, learning how to migrate computers,” he explained. “I learned the system very quickly, handling problems with the agents, the basic phone applications, how to troubleshoot it. How to get the agents back on track. The youth programme definitely built my self confidence.”
O’Brien had a message for other young people.
“If you do not have nothing to do at home, instead of going to smoke marijuana and being a bad example to people, I will advise them to come here and take a grip on their life, further themselves and think about their future. This is a great institution to further yourself,” he said.
He is now fully employed by Clear Harbor.
Another participant, Nartarsha Williams, 20, of Bath Estate told DNO that the programme was an excellent one.
She was attached to the Title section of the Registry in Roseau.
“We learned about computers and other programmes as well,” Williams stated. “We had different courses including business skills, social skills as well as Family Life Education. All of it was excellent, the lecturers were excellent in the sense that I learned a lot from them.”
She recommends that other young people participate in the programme in order to learn a computer skill that is able to take them “very far in life”
“I believe that the world is progressing in terms of technology and when you take part in this programme it will increase your knowledge and make you more literate in computers,” Williams said.
Good vibes…. keep up the good work
Hats off to those young person who followed thru with the program because the type of knowledge that you have learned will take you places, everything in todays society is the internet and if you cannot access it you will be left behind and remember the knowledge is in your head no one can take it from you, now go out and help others give them the tool of learning..
Remember a mind is a terrible thing to waste so go and help others who need it.
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the program.