Students show enterprise at C.E.T.
It is now such an important part of Belize’s educational scene that we wonder how we ever got along without it. But the Centre for Employment Training is not known for resting on its laurels…and once again it opened its doors for a public viewing.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Today the campus for the Centre for Employment Training (CET) was crawling with students from schools all over Belize City as well as from other Centres for Employment Training in Cayo and Corozal. And the man at the heart of this year’s open day is Edmund Castro, the manager for CET in Belize City. Castro says the day is a chance for the students to impress potential employers as well as family and friends.
Edmond Castro, Manager, Centre for Employment Training
“This is one way for employers to see some of the marvelous things that the students of the Centre for Employment Training could do, so employers are looking at some of the marvelous creations that the students have done as a way to say well, I know where to go get my technician, I know where to go to get someone to wire my house. If they’re getting into aviation or aeronautics, then they know to come to CET because we are at the cutting edge with this small institution.”
And it doesn’t get any more high tech than an honest to goodness airplane. These Wright Brothers used a 6.2 diesel engine and some zinc sheets to put together their not so highflying creation.
Kareem King
“Like I said, electrical put in a little bit, the carpentry, cause we needed some board to put in here so we can get these tack together with some rivets to hold the zinc sheetings together, along with the automotive class.”
Janelle Chanona
“And you hope one day it’ll fly?”
Kareem King
“Actually we could have put it to fly but we don’t need that right now, too much ruction.”
Janelle Chanona
“Was it hard to build? Did it take a long time?”
Kareem King
“Not really, about 3 weeks, we put our time and patience and work into it and here it is.”
In the heat of the morning, the hotspot to visit was the room with all the refrigerators. Not only did they make the machine work, these guys accessorized.
Evan Moody
“Everyday, we just plan to add something a little more to it so it looks attractive to people to the crowd. In business, you want to have something attractive so the people will always want to come buy something from you.”
Janelle Chanona
“What attracted me was that little remote control thing you did in there. So tell me how me how you did that?”
Evan Moody
“Normally if you go to any supermarket or anything, you’ll never find something like this. You just open this, maybe pull out your product, meat or turkey or something. This isn’t like that. You can get your stuff from that end to this end cause you have two doors, you exit and you know? This operate with this switch right here and you press this and you just take out your thing.”
While we trying to stay cool, right next-door the students were in the middle of the flames.
Errol Garbutt
“I’m doing abstract art. It’s just pint bottle with acetylene, butane and oxygen.”
Janelle Chanona
“When I usually think of welding you usually think about burglar bars and that sort of stuff. This art thing interests you?”
Errol Garbutt
“Yes, this art thing really interests me. Burglar bars, it’s kind of hard at once but it’s alright.”
Janelle Chanona
“You like melting the glass?”
Errol Garbutt
“Sometimes.”
Janelle Chanona
“What you prefer to do?”
Errol Garbutt
“Burglar bars.”
You might think these students have been laying around on the job but the centre’s manager, Edmund Castro says there has been plenty of work going on behind the scenes.
Edmond Castro
“This is a process that took just about the entire school year, ever since the students got here, it’s working towards one of our finest days which is our open house. However, the crunch time usually starts in late December and January. That’s when we put all we have in the development of new ideas, bringing those to the table, to materialize.”
Steven Bent, Parent
“I’m not surprised because Belize students are very talented just that some of them are very provoking which some people call bad, but it’s not bad. So what I would to say is that I hope all the youths of today, start to study a lot and use their talent.”
Reporting for News Five, I’m Janelle Chanona.
There are Centres for Employment Training in Toledo, Cayo and Corozal and by next year, there should be a centre in every district. There are approximately 400 students at CET in Belize City.
