HEART TRUST/NTA AND FCJ COMMITTED TO YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN ST. THOMAS
Gone are the days when St. Thomas was labeled a forgotten parish, as the National Training Agency HEART Trust has given the commitment to provide all the resources needed to prepare the young people of St. Thomas for every opportunity that will come their way through the development of the Morant Bay Urban Centre (MBUC).
The MBUC is the redevelopment of the old Goodyear factory in Morant Bay, St. Thomas by Factories Corporation of Jamaica Limited (FCJ). Over 365,000 square feet of space will become available for public and private sector entities such as the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation, financial institutions, a museum and the Registrar General’s Department.
Over 3000 jobs are expected to be created through this development, and this is why Managing Director of HEART TRUST/NTA Dr. Janet Dyer is urging residents of St. Thomas to identify courses they are interested in to begin the training process. She wants the training to start in September.
She made this announcement at a recently held HEART TRUST/NTA Community Town Hall meeting in Lyssons, St. Thomas on Thursday July 25, 2019.
According to Dr. Dyer, this is all in an effort to make St. Thomas vibrant and on the map again.
Also speaking at the Town Hall meeting was FCJ’s Chairman, Mr. Lyttleton ‘Tanny’ Shirley who emphasized that the Morant Bay Urban Centre will be a catalyst for change that needs to be carefully planned and executed for the eastern side of Jamaica.
Mr. Shirley also added that FCJ is in the parish to make a difference.
Meanwhile FCJ’s Managing Director Dr. Donald Farquharson stated that the development of the Morant Bay Urban Centre will help to retain the most valuable resources – the people, in the parish of St. Thomas.
Dr. Dyer, who is a past trainee of HEART Trust/NTA told the gathering that HEART was where her dreams started. She spoke about the financial struggles she faced which temporarily prevented her from furthering her education after attaining her CSEC subjects, pointing out that HEART gives hope to individuals to access paid tertiary education.
“ It was my life line and I grasped those opportunities to be where I am today, I am now committed to taking these opportunities to my fellow young people out here in St. Thomas,” said Dr. Dyer.
-30-
Contact
The Marketing and Communications Department
marketing@factoriesjamaica.com
