Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green is welcoming the introduction of the Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE) Programme that will focus on agro- food processing at the Moneague College and the Ebony Park HEART/NSTA Trust Academy.

Addressing the virtual launch of the programme hosted by the HEART/NSTA Trust on February 11, the Minister indicated that for the agro -food processing industry to be more successful in Jamaica, entrepreneurs must be able to source a cadre of trained and qualified personnel in the area.

“So our educational institutions must be guided by market demands in the area of agro food processing and ensure that training is provided. There must be direct alignment with what is needed in the market place and with the Ministry and with what is being provided by educational institutions like Ebony Park and Moneague College,” he said.

SAGE is a five year programme of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) and is being funded by Global Affairs Canada to the tune of CN$15million.

In addition to helping Jamaica, the programme will assist Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana and St. Lucia to become more resilient by supporting demand-driven technical and vocational education training (TVET) in key economic sectors associated with climate change in the Caribbean.

The core of the project in Jamaica will see the development of an associate degree programme in agro-food processing at Moneague College and a preparatory programme in the same area at Ebony Park Academy specifically for adolescent girls, women, youth and vulnerable populations.

The aim is to increase educational access, increase academic pathways to higher education, and to increase access to employment through work-integrated learning opportunities within small and medium-sized enterprises.

Students who successfully complete the preparatory programme will be able to continue their studies at Moneague College based on the matriculation agreement between the two institutions.

 Minister Green pointed out that the training will be cutting-edge in the areas related to agro- food processing such as hygiene and sanitation, quality assurance and standards, product development, food microbiology and labelling and packaging.

“We have to ensure that they are trained at the highest level so that our products when brought to the fore can compete in the international market,” he said.

In his remarks, Chargé d'affaires at the Canadian High Commission, Kevin Gilhooly, said the launch of the programme comes at an opportune time, especially as climate change affects the focus of national governments and industry- led adaptation efforts are being hampered by the lack of technically skilled workers. 

“It also comes at a time when countries are intensifying their efforts to ensure food security and build resilience against the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

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