Great Bay, St. Martin (Thursday, February 10, 2011) – Thirteen young men have received their certificates after successfully completing their PC Repair and Networking course. They are now certified to function as Helpdesk Technicians in the IT field. The graduation ceremony was held on Friday February 4th at the Rupert Maynard Community Center in the presence of honorable guests, DEI staff, family and friends of the graduates.
The course is part of the Youth Development Project of the Education and Youth program, which is managed by the Division for Educational Innovations (DEI) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs.
The graduates also received a motivational address written by Honorable Minister Rhoda Arrindell that was delivered by her Executive Assistant Ms. Morenika Arrindell. The address stressed on the importance of having qualified IT professionals in this day and age where technology plays a vital role.
Energies were high and smiles were bountiful as the graduates celebrated their last moments of being students of the program and marked their transition into graduates. The key words for the night were "second chances and new beginnings". The young men were applauded for grasping their second chance at education and were encouraged to see this achievement as a new beginning to more great things to come.
In her welcome speech, the Project Leader of the YDP project, Mrs. Janelle Presentacion encouraged the community, especially the businesses, to lend a helping hand to the graduates in their personal development to becoming socially responsible citizens of our country. She also noted the importance of setting positive examples for the younger generations to follow.
The Youth Development Program is a second chance educational program, funded by USONA, for youngsters between 16 and 24 years who were unable to complete secondary education. The Youth Development Program is executed by the Division for Educational Innovations (DEI) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports. The PC Repair and Networking course was facilitated by the Computer Institute of the Caribbean.
For more information on the program, contact Janelle Presentacion at 543-0497 or visit the office upstairs Carl and Sons on the Walter Nisbeth Road in Philipsburg. You can also find more information on YDP’s Facebook page; SXM YDP. You can also email the YDP team at sxm_ydp@hotmail.com.