Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/3520/-1/140/
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New Cake-Makers Graduate From Adult Course
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The Adult Education Continuing Programme is going well in Anguilla with a number of persons succeeding in the training and getting prepared for employment in the various skilled jobs coming on stream.
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The Graduates with Charlie Connor (right) and Tr. Charmaine (5th from right front row)
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On Tuesday this week, more than 15 persons, mainly from Malliouhana Hotel, graduated from a cake-making and decorating course, the fourth such training carried out under the Adult Education Programme of which Charles Connor is the Coordinator. The graduation ceremony was held at the Home Economics Centre, where the training was done by Teacher Charmaine Rey-Richardson.
Hulda Richardson, one of the graduates from the three-month course, said in her welcome remarks that the ceremony provided an opportunity for the adult students “to display the skills they have acquired.” She stated the fact that it was the fourth graduating class, “showed that persons are interested in learning to improve on their skills in cake-making and decorating which can be an additional source of income.”
The remarks by Vernetta Hodge, another of the successful students, said her cakes were now being sold at the recently-opened deli at J.W. Proctors in The Quarter. She commended the Education Department for introducing the course. “As I looked back at the beginning of this class, I see many individuals, like myself, with undiscovered talent ready to be revealed,” she stated. “I had been baking for years but still could not get a plain cake just right. I never ventured into cake-decorating because it always seemed very difficult, and my children would often make fun at my cakes and wonder what went wrong. Eventually, cake-baking became non-existent in my home as I grew tired of failure and when I heard about this class, I decided I had to sign up.”
She admonished her fellow students to make the best of the time they now have and to learn all they could so that their lives would be full and complete.
The graduation was witnessed by Minister of Education, Evans Rogers, and his Permanent Secretary, Rodney Rey, who assisted Mr. Connor in presenting the certificates. Speaking afterwards, Mr. Rey said he was impressed with the composition of the class. There were students of high school age, persons who had been involved in cake-making before; there was one male student among the graduates and there was a variety of ages, skills, abilities and experiences, thus indicating the attractiveness of the programme.
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Cakes made by Graduates
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“The Department and the Ministry are attempting to make education a life-long process,” Mr. Rey further stated. “No one should stop their education because they left school and it is our plan, in the near future, to establish what will be called The Anguilla Community College until we get the proper name for it. The idea will be to offer to all Anguillians the opportunity to improve their skills.
“We live in an economy where competition is the order of the day and only the most qualified and those with certificates will get the jobs that will come available in Anguilla soon. We, from the Ministry of Education, are ensuring that we put into place the institution, the training and resources to ensure that all persons who want to train can train. It is Government’s responsibility to make training available for its citizens; and I can say that the Minister who I work with and my other colleagues in the ministry and department, are endeavouring to make sure that this training is made available.
“Come September, we are hoping that we can begin in a small way with our hotel trades. We will be adding other programmes later and will do more to promote this kind of skilled-based training.”
Mr. Connor joined Mr. Rey in outlining the benefits of the Adult Education Programme which includes training in cake-baking and decorating, computer skills and sewing as well as academic subjects. He was grateful to Mrs. Rey-Richardson for her tutoring work over the past four training courses and lamented that she leaving Anguilla for Nevis in September to join her husband, Reverend Lindsay Richardson, who will be assuming a new ministerial post there.
Replying, she expressed her delight in conducting the classes and was pleased with the performance of her students.