The Market Access and Rural Enterprise Development Programme (MAREP) through its Vocational and Skills Training (VST) programme, began the first Geriatric Care course for 20 rural women at the Care with Compassion (CWC) Training Centre, Young Street, St George, on Monday, 11 January 2016.
This provision of skills and vocational training is keeping with MAREP’s commitment to rural development, and in particular to provide access to employment opportunities and assistance with job placement and business development. The main objective of the Geriatric Care is to assist the selected women from MAREP’s targeted communities to access employment as Care Assistants.
About $100,000 (for tuition plus transportation and child care allowance) will be spent for the 20 selected female trainees to obtain the full-time 8-month training opportunity. This includes a 6-month theoretical and practical module and 2-month job training/apprenticeship.
- Theoretical unit (in class) will be held Monday to Friday from 8 am to midday
- Practical unit (elderly homes island-wide) and job training unit will be held Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm.
On successful completion of the competency based course, the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) Level II will be presented to each trainee, to make them eligible to work as Care Assistants.
MAREP is therefore proud to reaffirm its commitment in delivering community-based programmes to provide knowledge and skills to improve health outcomes, invest in the female workforce to ensure high quality care for the elderly citizen,s and boost the empowerment level of rural youth to become motivated in geriatric/health care. This in turn will translate to development, employment and sustainable livelihoods.
For further information, please call 442-0100/0105 or email marepgrenada@gmail.com.
