Inner-city residents laud their participation in solar and electric installation training programme

Beaming with pride, Kimberly Jones confidently strode into the Excelsior Community College (ECC) Wesley Powell Lecture Theatre last Tuesday, November 19. With an extra pep in her step and outfitted in a golden academic cap and gown with a kelly green trim, she was on the verge of fulfilling a life chapter that previously eluded her—a graduation. 

A decade earlier, Jones was unable to join her then-teenaged peers in the traditional rite of passage at her alma mater, the Tivoli Gardens Comprehensive High, as cost of living expenses prevented this. Now here she was – one of 33 graduates of the JPS

Foundation’s Power Up Community Action (CA) programme—gliding across the stage at ECC to receive their solar and electrical installation certificates.

“It has been a life-changing experience for me,” said the 29-year-old mother of two girls, aged 8 and 2, reflecting on the last six months spent in the classroom and in the field learning about solar energy.
“The teachers here at Excelsior are wonderful. They take the time out and go beyond teaching. They invested in us as students and changed my life personally. There were days I came to school and was down and by the end of a session, my confidence was up.  There were other days I felt like not coming to school and I would get a call, and I turned up,” the Olympic Way resident revealed.

Jones disclosed that she learnt of the collaborative initiative among the JPS Foundation, ECC, the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the VM Foundation, focusing on skills training, entrepreneurship, literacy and numeracy at her daughter’s school at the top of the year.

“Dupont Primary School was having a job fair. I went there and was informed by a representative from the JPS Foundation that they were doing a community initiative which sent interested persons back to school. I asked if they had to pay, and she said no, ‘we pay for you to go and we provide a stipend,’ so I gladly took that opportunity.” 

Jones explained that she chose the solar installation course of study instead of the electrical alternative on offer as “I love renewable energy because it cuts costs; that stood out about it for me.” 

As to her next move, post-graduation, a smiling Jones shared: “I want to continue learning and developing myself and trying to change the lives of others. I have to get experience now as that is key, and I want to work at JPS; there is no better place than there.”

For JPS Foundation Chairman Damian Obiglio, ECC-trained solar and electrical installation graduates like Jones, are part of the energy company’s plans to bring about transformative changes in the future. “We realise the power of education and opportunity,” Obiglio told the lecture hall of attentive graduates and well-wishers, JPS executives and the energy company’s partners.

“Together we gather to celebrate a milestone and look forward to you doing great things in your communities. It was very important for us to do this first CA initiative right as we are looking to replicate it,” the Chair remarked. Continuing, he said: “better jobs, brighter futures and taking better control of your lives” are the spin-off benefits expected to emerge for them.

Pointing to the Jamaican government’s National Energy Policy, which looks to substantially increase the use of renewable energy sources by 2030, Obiglio said the newly educated cohort in front of him stood to gain. “You are preparing yourselves for major changes in the island. Jamaica is going to embark on an adventure that has no return,” he hinted.

Meanwhile, Omar Green, a resident of Parade Gardens in downtown Kingston, relayed his joy in completing the 24-week electrical installation course he began in April. It also held deeper significance for him. “The exciting part for me was getting the chance to finish something that I really liked and enjoyed,” the part-time carpenter explained.

Rewind to 2001, a then 17-year-old Green had enrolled in a nine-month-long HEART Trust/NTA program to acquire electrical installation skills, but had to drop out on account of securing a carpentry job to support urgent familial responsibilities as his mother had passed away. 

Given this second chance, the former Kingston High student seized it. He admitted though: “I was a bit hesitant because I have a 16-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son and they have to eat and drink and go to school, so I was wondering how I would be able to go to classes and do roasts [jobs] for carpentry from time to time.” The weekly stipend afforded to enrolled students in the CA initiative helped to alleviate his concerns.

“Becoming an electrician is a dream job for me and going to work at JPS would be another dream of mine. It’s a privilege for me to get the chance to finish this electrical program, and see what is out there for me,” Green said.

The guest speaker at the graduation ceremony was Lincoy Small, director of system operations at JPS. Offering words of encouragement, he challenged the graduates to think bigger than their current life circumstances, as he is testimony of solid results being produced from humble beginnings. “I grew up in Rollington Town. My mother worked in a seasoning product factory. She would have me hide under the bed whenever gun violence erupted in the area,” he reflected on a not-so-easy childhood. “But she was determined to see the best of me, and at some point, I became driven to succeed. What will your story be?” Lincoy posed.

He also shared that he had risen up the ranks of the energy company, having changed positions eight times, and advised them to abide by a checklist to assess progress. “Become self-motivated and make use of all your opportunities,” he said, “you should never become entitled, and always try to make a difference.”

As the eldest enrolled student, 53-year-old Dennis Orane was only too happy to sign up, as he had been unemployed for the last four years. Last on a company payroll as a binder working at the Jamaica Printing Service, Green who hails from the Charles Street neighbourhood of central Kingston said: “I discovered the program through a friend who told me that persons had dropped out and they wanted to fill some spaces.”

The CA programme, which kicked off in April with more than 50 registered students, through attrition, ended with over two-thirds of its initial cohort graduating.

“The first phase was finished as they had about three weeks with literacy and numeracy education, so I came in at the second phase of the electrical installation program. We were doing entrepreneurship, psychosocial and climate change modules.  And then, the final part where we were doing electrical installation. It has definitely been a challenge for me, but it was something I was interested in for a long time,” Orane shared. 

Now certified, he said: “I was even saying to my wife—I am able to fix some problems that I have in the house right now. We were having a shortage as I was not getting current on one  side of the breaker, so I used my tester to pinpoint where the shortage was and identified what needed to be corrected.”  Looking ahead, Orane expressed a desire to further his knowledge and is giving consideration to applying for the Level 3 electrical installation course offered by HEART. “I was even saying to a friend of mine in the class that we need to start something so we can go forward as a group and possibly start a company to branch out and market ourselves.” 

Duane Muirhead, ECC’s senior director at the Centre for Professional Development and  Continuing Education, was satisfied with the results of the just-wrapped partnered undertaking. “The CA programme was a successful one. We not only provided skills training, but we gave the participants requisite soft skills that will enable them to relate to a diverse group of people and cope in dynamic environments,” the administrator observed. “The programme built self-esteem, renewed hope and vision where they were lost sight of, and acts as a scaffold to improve earning potential. Since there is a direct correlation with  earning potential and violence, the programme will be instrumental in stemming the tide of crime and violence in specific communities.”

Muirhead revealed that the conversation initially began in November 2023 between ECC and the JPS Foundation to launch the CA programme, with negotiations lasting a month. “The Christmas break slowed down the progress of implementation and then dialogue restarted in February this year and the programme began on April 9,” he noted. 

The CA programme supports the JPS Foundation’s focus on community empowerment, climate resilience and STEM education.