Women: Alternative Roles

Operation Friendship recently
obtained very high marks for
successfully participating in a
non-traditional training
programme for inner-city
women. Designed by the Inter
American Development Bank
(IDB) and the HEART
Trust/NTA and executed
through Operation Friendship,
the programme was
implemented at the Operation
Friendship Bell Road complex
in Kingston Jamaica.

The programme sought to
increase access to
employment opportunities for
90 low-income women through
the delivery of specialised
skills training.

The women were drawn from

the inner-city communities and
pursued training in Computer
Repairs, Autobody Repairs,
Cabinetmaking and
Upholstery.

Over in the Computer Repairs
department, the women were
involved in the general
servicing of computers.
At the conclusion of the
programme, many obtained
employment in Jamaican
firms as apprentices while
others opted to involve
themselves in minor repair
businesses.

According to one student,
“the most intriguing part of
the programme was actually
pulling down the computer,
cleaning it, changing the

defective parts and putting it
back together. I also enjoy
trouble shooting, discovering
the cause of the problem,
then making the corrections."

In addition to the particular
skills area, the women were
afforded the opportunity of
participating in the following
Support Subjects: Math,
English, Gender Awareness,
Employability, and
Entrepreneurial.

The countries participating in
this skills training programme
were Belize, Trinidad
Tobago, Guyana, and Jamaica.