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Red Stripe’s Learning For Life celebrates 10 years

Published:Friday | March 16, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Contributed
From left: Project Grow top student Orlando Mignott; Dianne Ashton-Smith, head of Corporate Affairs at Red Stripe; Project Grow top student Ramone Gillespie; and Valedictorian and graduate from Project Employability Jonnalee Davis at the Learning for Life graduation and tenth anniversary celebrations.

On March 10, over 600 students graduated from the Red Stripe Learning for Life Programme, which celebrated its tenth anniversary, at Wolmer's Boys' School Auditorium.

"We always take every opportunity to assist young Jamaicans, and Learning for Life is one of the primary vehicles we use to do that. Investing in the communities where we do business helps people enjoy and live better lives. Learning for Life is an innovative programme that proves that growing a successful business and doing good for others can be compatible, while fostering long-term sustainability," said Dianne Ashton-Smith, Red Stripe head of corporate affairs.

"For its ten years of being a cause for good in Jamaica, Learning for Life continues to empower individuals to forge their own paths and become self-sufficient contributors to their communities and to society. Students feel a sense of achievement and empowerment when they complete each programme and are able to more confidently become economically independent while providing for their families and their communities in a meaningful way," Ashton-Smith added.

As part of the programme's tenth anniversary celebrations, five partners were inducted into the newly established Learning for Life Hall of Fame. The HEART/Trust NTA; M. Audrey Hinchcliffe, chairman and chief executive officer of Manpower and Maintenance Services; Patrice White, Managing Director of Dynamic Lifestyle; Ryan Mitto and Taje Samuels, founding partners of Well Skills Entertainment were all honoured for their significant contributions and collaborative work with the programme.

To date, more than 15,000 Jamaicans have benefited from the programme, which is funded by the Desnoes & Geddes Foundation, the Learning for Life programme, in conjunction with the HEART Trust National Training Agency (NTA), providing participants with skills training in hospitality, retail, entrepreneurship, and bartending. The most recent cohort of students completed courses in various programmes including CXC Night Academy, Certified Bar, Project Employability, Project Merchandiser, Project Grow, and Project Small Business Management.