Chef Sam Middelkoop instructing new culinary students.
~ 360 new students ~
CAY HILL–St. Maarten Training Foundation (SMTF) had another record-breaking enrolment drive with 360 new students enrolling in the training programme that started on Monday, September 16.
This represents a 23 per cent increase above the previous record enrolment. “Our training academy continues to grow from strength to strength as we expand the courses offered. Our admin team had to put in extra hours to process all the new applications and we pulled it off without any major problems,” SMTF Programme Director Sergio Wolff said.
The popularity of the hospitality and culinary programmes continued, with the latter filling up within weeks and a waiting list that extends into 2020. The construction training programme, which will restart soon at National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA), has also been oversubscribed.
These training programmes are part of the Emergency Income Support and Training Programme (EISTP), which is financed by the government of the Netherlands, managed by the World Bank and implemented by the National Recovery Programme Bureau (NRPB).
Besides hospitality, culinary and construction courses, SMTF also offers St. Maarten Culture and History (an integral part of hospitality and culinary), English as Second Language (ESL basic and level 1) and Basic Literacy. The latter courses are given in collaboration with University of St. Martin (USM).
“The team at USM has done a great job with these courses and I am happy that we can partner with such a great local institution to provide quality courses to our students. The collaboration has benefitted both institutions, as SMTF is able to expand the course offerings under the EISTP and USM benefits by securing additional revenue streams, which helps strengthen their budget,” explained Wolff.
SMTF Head of Communication and Counselling Steve Duzanson said the Basic Literacy course caters to those persons who have not had much formal education.
“Being functionally illiterate is a burden that some have carried their entire lives and they have developed all sorts of coping mechanisms to mask. When completed successfully, the course will liberate them of that burden, boost their self-esteem and improve their chances on the job market. In most countries that effect has been more pronounced with women,” he said.
All enrolled students receive financial support for attending classes and successfully completing the programme, as well as medical coverage through Social and Health Insurances SZV and a small transportation allowance.
The EISTP is the only social programme in the country that provides direct financial support to the participants in the form of a biweekly stipend. It caters to persons who are unemployed or underemployed – working part-time, less than 20 hours per week – and provides training in Hospitality, Culinary Arts, Construction and now English.
Persons wishing to participate in the programme must register at the Labour Department. Criteria such as immigration status, level of unemployment and residency are used to determine eligibility. Once eligibility has been established by the Labour Department the applicant is transferred to SMTF to complete the enrolment process.
Interested persons can contact the Labour Department or call SMTF at tel. 520-7574 for more information.
SMTF is located at Hillside Christian Schools’ Asha Stevens Campus in Cay Hill.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/91055-record-breaking-enrolment-at-smtf
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