HEART Newport Campus marks World Youth Skills Day with contests and stakeholder talks

MANCHESTER — HEART Trust’s Newport Campus marked World Youth Skills Day on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 with skills exhibitions, live competitions and a stakeholder consultation at the Manchester institution, drawing participants from Manchester and St. Elizabeth, including Black River.

Board member Mrs. Linton George opened the day’s programme after a morning ceremony in the auditorium. Gary McKenzie served as master of ceremonies. Keynote speaker Detective Inspector Jonovan Henderson, operations officer in the Information Management and Statistics Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, urged trainees to weave technology into every trade. Henderson, who is also a student at the campus, said he wants to advance as far as training allows.

Campus manager Mrs. Amoy Gain Brown was credited with leading the Newport operation. Alumni testimonials featured Kemar of Solar Intelligence and Nic Carlo, who displayed creative work and received startup funding from HEART and the SDA Trust — underscoring that the institution supports both training and business start-ups.

Exhibition tents covered hospitality, allied healthcare, early childhood development (levels two to four), digital construction, electrical work with a renewable-energy component, digital welding using a VR practice machine, and general construction. Early childhood trainees showed learning corners built largely from recyclable materials such as cardboard and food sticks. Digital construction students demonstrated virtual building walk-throughs, Revit design software, site safety layouts and 3D-printed models. Newport and Black River electrical teams displayed solar setups, automatic transfer switches, inverters and smart-home controls, including phone and voice-activated lighting.

Competitions included Save the Egg, in which entrants built protective devices so an egg dropped from about six feet would not break, using materials such as newspaper, tape and straws; creative metalwork; an electrical tools challenge; bed making; wire tracing for computer service and support; a culinary cook-off; and a photography contest with themes “A Sustainable Jamaica,” “Skills for a Shared Future” and “World Youth Skills Day 2026.” Walk-in entrants could register via a QR code at registration.

A stakeholders’ consultation, moderated by Anif Francis under the theme “Combining Skills for a Sustainable Future,” invited industry partners — including construction and alternative-energy representatives and the parish JCDC manager — to advise on improving TVET training. Free massage therapy was offered in the AC lab during the event.

Winners announced on site included Zena Murray for bed making, Akim Morrison for Save the Egg, Crystalia Saunders for welding and Rashard Wilson for wire tracing.