History and Impact

The Spanish Town Skills Training Centre is an exciting community-based, non-profit Christian Based institution, operated in partnership with HEART NSTA/Trust, the National Training Agency for Jamaica.

The Centre was formed in April 1999, resulting from the initiative of Mrs. Sandria Palmer and Mrs. Ruth James, who wanted to see the Church community start a training centre to help its youth.

Pastor Levi Johnson, then serving Senior Pastor of the Spanish Town Seventh-day Adventist Church, caught the vision and mobilised a group of civic-minded citizens, who came together to form the Community Management Committee (CMC) or the School Board. A feasibility study was conducted and this led to the team presenting its proposal to the National Training Agency who accepted and training officially commenced in October 2000. The Agency continue to provides technical support, certification and approximately 60% funding cost associated with the project.

With limited capacity, resources, and extended partnerships, the institution has successfully trained more than three thousand persons from different communities in the immediate environs and as far as Clarendon and Kingston.

Locale

The Spanish Town SDA Skills Training Centre is situated along the busy thoroughfare of Brunswick Avenue, that takes traffic towards Bog Walk/Linstead and the business hub of Spanish Town in the opposite direction.

Brunswick Avenue is considered a safe business community and a number of other schools are within close proximity. We are easily accessible with regular transportation and there is no unusual disturbance or crime-wave in the vicinity.

Targets groups

There is no discrimination of age, political persuasion, sex or class. Training and certification empower men to better cater to the needs of their families as they become self-sustained.

Young women, including single mothers, have become viable income earners and better caregivers for their children!

Our training is provided for individuals seventeen years and older, and the children of our students are drafted into an after-care program to help stabilize parents.

These target groups include:

School dropouts

At-risk Youths

Uncertified worker

School leavers

Adult Learner/Senior Citizens

Professionals

Increased productivity, self-value, and wealth creation, improved academic performance and a boost in the employment rate in the lives of thousands, has been the land-mark of what we have been able to accomplish over these years.

Employment rate

Students are listed for at least one-month work experience on successful completion, and we have achieved 98-100% employment for our students. They are encouraged to also register with the Employment Opportunity Program provided by HEART NSTA/Trust.

The Management Team

The Board or Management Committee comprises Five (5) members who meet at least once per quarter or more often when required. The members of staff include four (4) Instructors, an Administrator, a Manager and an Office Attendant.

Chairman

Accountant

Secretary

Public Relations Officer

Legal Advisor

We continue to impact the lives of individuals, transforming families and building stronger communities through our current offerings:

Customer Service Supervisor Level 3

This course is offered in the Online Modality and participants are trained and certified for jobs in any industry, especially the BPO Sector, which employs over 60,000 in Jamaica presently, and is projected to increase to 75,000 in another two years.

Early Childhood Care & Development Level 2-3

The program feeds the approximately 30 schools in our environs including Primary Schools with Early Childhood practitioners. It’s success results from participant-integration in the classroom during the training cycle for at least 3 months. There is a 100% success rate in both exams and employment.

Home Health Caregiver Level 3

With the introduction of Allied Health Care in our curriculum in 2023, approximately two hundred have been trained in Home Health Caregiver. These Practitioners are employed in Nursing Homes, Private Care and the Hospitals.

First Aid Level 2 is to be streamlined in September 2025.

We dare to improve, excel, advance! 2025 will be our best year ever, as we celebrate our 25th Silver Anniversary during the month of October. Look out for the launch to our website and Instagram Page and visit or FB page for more!

Come! Celebrate with us! It will be undeniably regrettable if you miss it!