NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS  (June 28, 2019) — A participant in the 2019 Summer Job Attachment Programme (SJAP) hosted by the Department of Youth in the Ministry of Social Development, now in its 17^th year, is expressing his intention to pursue a career in Nursing, to pay homage to his grandmother of blessed memory.

Eighteen-year-old Divanuo Dore, a 5^th form student of the Gingerland Secondary School (GSS), is one of the 55 students participating in the department’s annual programme for school leavers. In an interview with the Department of Information recently at the end of the lecture sessions of the five-week programme he explained the reason for wanting to become a nurse.

“It is not something that is popular here. Choosing this field has something mainly to do with my grandmother. In the past while she was still alive, she died in Miami, and because the hospital didn’t have enough nurses she was unattended at the time, and I realise they have the same problem here in Nevis. We don’t have the staff.

“We keep rehiring people that were supposed to be retired a long time ago, so I feel responsible I need to step up. That’s what!” he said.

Dore used the opportunity to thank the department for the opportunity to prepare for the world of work and described the lecture session as informative.

“I feel that the programme was actually very fun. It was informative, educational and it helped us, the sessions they gave us, the exercises that we did…

“I would just like to thank the department for what they have done for me, and I hope that in the future I will be able to give back to my community and achieve my dreams of becoming a male nurse,” he said.

The SJAP offers school leavers from Forms 4 to 6 an opportunity to experience the world of work through a five-week internship. It forms part of the Keep Empowering Youths with Skills (KEYS) programme.

The interns who have limited or no employment experience are introduced to a variety of career opportunities where they develop practical work skills, professional ethics and learn more about seeking and retaining employment.

Acting Director of Youth Ms. Kerdis Clarke explained that the internship allows participants to benefit from a professional mentorship experience which will significantly shape their work values, and prepare them for adapting high standards when they become full-time employees.

She noted that as the programme’s main emphasis is on training and the acquisition of skills, employers participating in the project are under no obligation to retain the interns at the end of the internship. However they may choose to keep them at their discretion.

The internship segment of the programme commenced on June 08, 2019 and ends on August 09, 2019. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation at a closing ceremony slated for August 10.