Thirty-nine members from the government-sponsored Beautiful Grand Bahama Programme graduated on March 21, 2024 with the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certification from The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI).
NCCER, an internationally acclaimed certification, is recognized as the leading provider of construction education for industry and career and technical education programs, spanning over 50 trades since 1996.
While delivering the keynote address to the West Grand Bahama cohort at Bethel Deliverance Center in Eight Mile Rock, Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey, innovator of the Beautiful Grand Bahama Programme, said it was a proud moment for her to witness such an historic moment.
“This is an unforgettable moment for me and I believe an unforgettable moment for you. Your hard work, commitment to learning and desire to transform your lives have led you all to this day,” she said.
“When I reflect on the journey of Beautiful Grand Bahama, surveying how it all began and where we are today, I am overwhelmed at the remarkable accomplishments the programme has achieved within two short years.”
Minister Moxey pointed out that Beautiful Grand Bahama was created to revitalize our communities by addressing long, outstanding community concerns, and employing residents who felt hopeless, particularly young men.
The government recognizes the need to restore the dignity of Bahamians by giving a hand up instead of a hand out and to provide opportunities for Bahamians to make an honest living and hold their heads up high, despite the challenges experienced, she added.
“Our goal was to take a holistic approach to transforming lives, one person at a time, and to transforming our communities one project at a time. And I can assuredly say that Beautiful Grand Bahama has accomplished this and so much more,” Minister Moxey said.
“Under this Programme, 350 persons were hired and assigned to execute various priority community projects identified by my ministry from east to west Grand Bahama. Many of these projects involved demolition, creation and refurbishment of structures and monuments, cleanup and debris removal in neighbourhoods and beautification and enhancement of parks, tourist and cultural sites.”
The programme employed young men who were once involved in gang activities but desired a future of a better life and injected revenue into local businesses, directly into communities and mom and pop shops and community convenience stores.
Minister Moxey noted that her ministry has also liaised with other ministries to assist team members with replacement of passports, NIB cards, applying for social assistance, opening bank accounts and expunging criminal records of minor offences.
The programme was instrumental in assisting the Ministry of Education, the Department of Immigration, Department of Social Services, the Judiciary, Post Office, the Bahamas National Trust, the University of The Bahamas and the Prop Club at the Grand Lucayan resort.
The Beautiful Grand Bahama team members completed a total of 80 hours for the NCCER certification which covered a number of areas, including safety first, power tools, hand tools, construction math and construction drawing.
Parliamentary Secretary and Member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Kingsley Smith noted that the ceremony marks a pivotal moment in their journey toward self-improvement and prosperity and encouraged the graduates to continue pursuing their dreams.
In attendance were Permanent Secretary, Joel Lewis; Senator Kirk Russell; BTVI Deputy Chairman Cecil Thompson; Kenton Roker, Head of Department, Construction and Mechanical Trades at BTVI Northern Campus; and BTVI Associate Vice-President, Northern Campus Veronica Collie.
By LEDEDRA MARCHE/Bahamas Information Services
More photo highlights below:
