Trainees at NEWLO, the New Life Organisation, are enjoying improved facilities through a partnership with Grenada Electricity Services Ltd (GRENLEC). NEWLO is a life and vocational skills training center for disadvantaged youth, located at Palmiste, St John.
GRENLEC provided more than $70,000 towards the renovation of the Sewing Department, including treatment for termite infestation and construction of the roof. The corridor joining the Sewing Department to the Adolescent Development Programme Department and washrooms were also renovated.
Education and youth empowerment are important areas of focus for GRENLEC’s Community Partnership Initiative (GCPI). Through the GCPI, the company seeks to positively impact the development of skilled young professionals who can fulfill the need for qualified and contributing members of society.
Sister Margaret Yamoah, Executive Director of NEWLO, was encouraged to submit a request for support. She thanked GRENLEC for reaching out to help. “Our Sewing Department is extremely important to our institution as a training facility and also because it sews all the uniforms worn by our trainees. The department is now standardised and we feel safe in and around the areas where the renovations were carried out.”
Prudence Greenidge, Corporate Communications Manager of GRENLEC, confirmed that while support in these areas is frequently for programmes, her company recognises that infrastructure also plays an important role in creating the right conditions to foster learning. “In every industry, there is strong reliance on skilled labour and visible gaps where these services are not readily available. Certainly, vocational education enhances employability and competitiveness and there is increasing reliance on it to prepare entrepreneurs who can be self-employed, and who can provide employment for others.”
Greenidge urged students of NEWLO to maximise their opportunity to become competent and conscientious professionals, who positively contribute to the realisation of Grenada’s national development goals.
DMJ Construction Management, headed by a NEWLO graduate, was selected to execute the work from among three bidding contractors who answered NEWLO’s call for proposals. It is significant that the project afforded hands-on-training for trainees from NEWLO’s General Construction, Electrical Installation, Carpentry and Plumbing Departments. NEWLO’s management commended DMJ Construction and its owner for his commitment to quality and for completing the work within the scheduled time.
