LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE
Oliver is a 25-year-old young man who experienced severe trauma and has had a very long road to recovery and rehabilitation, which has left him functioning beneath the expected capacity for his current age. The Principal at the School of Art and Design, St. Lucia, had the privilege of knowing Oliver Cadet before he came to be enrolled at the institution. Thinking back on her early experience with Oliver, she had this to say. “Meeting Oliver at the age of sixteen years, I recall a very artistic and skillful young man, full of potential. Hearing of his accident which led to his current disability from severe traumatic brain injuries, came as a shock and was very saddening. Despite his accident, his mother kept in close contact with the school as she was very concerned for her son’s future, given his new challenges. With every call I assured her that at some point he would be able to enroll in one of our programs once it was determined that he was ready to do so”.
OPPORTUNITY TO FURTHER LEARNING
Oliver’s opportunity finally came through a SkYE funded programme that was being implemented at the School of Art and Design. The SkYE programme placed special emphasis on including youth with disabilities in education and training, and enhance their opportunities for meaningful employment.
Through this programme, it was now possible for Oliver to engage in his first set of formal class sessions outside of secondary school and a few years after his accident. During the interview process for recruitment at School of Art and Design, Oliver expressed interest in Printing and Graphics, although he still wasn’t fully sure this was his future career path. After the first two weeks of training, it was determined that because of the nature of the classes and the level of theory, it proved a bit too difficult for him and his challenges of memory recall. Oliver agreed and was allowed to switch to the Ceramics programme instead. To help ensure he did not fall-behind in the new class, he was given private sessions to bring him up to date with the course material and on par with his class peers.
COMPETENT IN CERAMICS
Ceramic cellphone holder created by Oliver. Photo credits: School of Art and Design
Oliver was met with a few challenges during the training, however, with motivation and individual attention, he was able to complete the training along with everyone else. During the process of the pre-assessment, it was initially determined that he may not have been able to be deemed competent for the entire occupational skill area.
Nevertheless, he was given the opportunity to be assessed and the necessary accommodations were made to facilitate the process. In the end, Oliver was deemed competent in the skill area, and we are proud to have shared in his achievement, seeing this was his first academic assessment following his accident and serves as a major milestone in his recovery. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours and look forward to his continued progress.
The UK Government’s support will enable hundreds of young persons across the Windward Islands, like Oliver, to dramatically improve their life’s prospects. This support allows them the opportunity to learn a trade or skill and become certified in areas where they can find a job or start their own business. Disability and poverty are often seen as inextricably linked but programmes like SkYE are seeking to change this paradigm, by giving youth the opportunity to learn and find their place in the work force.
FACTS
Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) is a four-year, UKaid funded programme to provide certified skills training for 6,000 disadvantaged young people, including those challenged by disability, in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines.
The Programme will develop a more productive and inclusive workforce in sectors with good economic growth potential. SkYE is supporting national training authorities and training providers to make systemic improvements to the development, delivery and quality assurance of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in the four focus islands through targeted capacity building.
