The St. Maarten Youth Development Program is now registering youngsters interested in following one of the upcoming courses. These courses are Room Care Attendant (Maintenance) and Bartending (which includes training for Waiter/Waitress) of which the preparatory programs for these courses are set to begin in January 2011.
The St. Maarten Youth Development Program is a program (funded by USONA) for youngsters between the ages of 16 and 24 years who were unable to finish secondary education. With this program youngsters can get the start qualifications needed to enter the job market at an assistant’s level or further their studies at the SBO/ASVE school. The Youth Development Program is executed by the Department of Educational Research, Policy and Innovations (DERPI) of Island Government.
The preparatory program is a three month phase in the program where the students focus on developing their social skills, computer skills and if needed English reading and writing skills. Students need to complete this phase in the program before being able to move on to their career courses that they have chosen. The main goal of the preparatory program is to provide the youngsters with not only the knowledge but the social skills needed to succeed in the workforce.
The Room Care Attendant course aims to train youngsters in the maintenance field in the hospitality industry. The Bartending course aims to train youngsters as certified Bartenders and also provide training in becoming a professional Waiter or Waitress. Both courses will take 6 months to complete and will be taught by the Caribbean Institute for Social Education Foundation (CIFSEF). All courses include mandatory job training.
Registration for the mentioned courses will take place throughout the entire month of October and November. Interested persons are asked to please bear in mind that there are a limited amount of spaces available for these courses. All you need to register is a copy of your St. Maarten identification (I.D) card. Registration will be held at the Youth Development Program office upstairs of Carl and Son’s Bakery on the Walter J Nisbeth Road in Philipsburg. The office is open Monday thru Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. For more information, you can contact Janelle Presentacion at 543-0497 or visit the program’s Facebook page; SXM YDP.