CET students hold open day
Their motto is, “We Help Those Who Want to Help Themselves” and once again the Center for Employment Training has demonstrated just how motivated their students are. Their annual open day highlighted not only their achievements over the past several months, but their graduates’ goals for the future: whether they are going immediately to work or using CET as a springboard to further education. Arreini Palacio was on the campus today.
It is time to take a tour of Center for Employment Training’s annual open day.
Thomas Miguel, Electrical Student
“This is basically doing an industrial wiring, that you would do for an office or a factory or something like that. This is the safest way to do it so that you don’t get shocked or something like that.”
Randi Garnett, Mechanic Student
“We learn the system like breaking system, the charging system of a vehicle and how to fix them.”
Fixing up, building up and wiring up were all apart of this year’s exhibition, and although it may have been wet, the rain did not dampened the sparks of our next generation of welders, mechanics or electricians. According to manger Stansmore Bowman, CET has big plans in technological training for the new millenium.
Stansmore Bowman, Manager, CET
“In the area of technological vocation if we expand on these programs, we need to have the technology in the institutions so that the students interact with them, so that when they get into the real world of work situations, they can be productive and therefore assist Belize with its competitiveness.”
And competition is no stranger to aspiring mechanic, Rommel Young, as he anticipates a future in his field.
Rommel Young, Mechanic Student
“From this simple remote control we can activate the head lights, the horn, start the engine and operate the fog lights. With encouragement our instructor gave us courage to build it, you know. This was an old truck that was outside. It was an old truck that we built up; we raised it three feet and worked on it approximately six to eight months in order to build it up like this.”
Apart from showing how to repair and make different things, the open day has another purpose.
Stansmore Bowman
“Firstly we used it to market the skills of our students. It is normally at a point in time just before our on-the-job training begins. At the end of the on-the-job training we hope to place students in work places.”
But getting them into workplaces is no longer CET’s only objective. Bowman says the school has noticed a new trend among students.
Stansmore Bowman
“Initially it was training for employment; people would come in to gain gainful employment. But what we are seeing today – we are seeing students coming into the Center for Employment Training and moving on to tertiary institutions like Belize Technical College in their area of specialty. We see students coming and going back into the secondary schools stream. We see some come in who did not do good in the B.N.S.E. and we offer the opportunity to do the B.N.S.E. through the Center for Employment Training. And there is also that special group that goes to work.”
After showing their skills in the open day the students are expected to do on-the-job training before they graduate. Arreini Palacio for News Five.
At today’s open day ceremonies the address from the education sector was made by Brenda Armstrong, while the business community was represented by Eugenie Adderly Gabourel.
