George Henry - Merna Smith (left), project co-coordinator, at Project of Hope Training Centre, at Tweedside, in Clarendon, and Havoline Forbes (right), computer technology instructor, are being presented with a CPU by Cartland Palmer, Queensway Cathedral Church representative out of Canada, at a handing over ceremony at that institution on Thursday.

SPALDINGS, CLARENDON:

The computer education programme at the Project of Hope Training Centre, at Tweedside in North West Clarendon, received a boost on Thursday, with the presentation of 15 computers and five printers from a Canadian church.

The Project of Hope Training Centre is an affiliate institution of the HEART TRUST/NTA.

The presentation of the equipment, which took place at the institution, was made by returning resident Cartland Palmer who represented his church, the Queensway Cathedral, which is based in Canada.

better computer learning

Palmer, who spent almost four decades in the North American country, is the founder of Project of Hope Training Centre. He said the presentation was done in an effort to enhance the computer education programme, by increasing the number of computers available to students from 26 to 41, so that during technology classes, each trainee can access his or her own computer.

He said Queensway Cathedral has been associated with the institution for more than two years and has always seen the need to make donations to the school, while seeing to the training and development of unskilled young Jamaicans in sections of Clarendon and Manchester.

improve courses

Palmer added that several trainees at the institution have recently completed a level-one course in computer technology and the plan is to have them move on to a level-two course in September. However, according to him, additional computers and printers had to be acquired to make the course meaningful. He said with the donation of the computers and printers, trainees will be able to acquire more from the level-two programme.

The Queensway Cathedral representative added that his church has been making donations of equipment over the past two years to the three-year-old institution, and pledged to continue doing so in the interest of the youth.

Meanwhile, computer technology instructor at Project of Hope, Havoline Forbes, in expressing gratitude to Palmer and Queensway Cathedral, said the computers and printers will go a far way in boosting the learning experience of all students at the centre.

She said all who passed through its doors has to be computer literate before graduating.

She added that Project of Hope will be offering a course in computer repairs and with the addition of the newly-acquired equipment, students will be able to practice their repairing skills on the old computers available. Forbes also disclosed that trainees in computer education will also be involved in movie making as they use the new equipment.

praised church

Forbes praised Queensway Cathedral for the donation and said if the presentation was not made, trainees at Project of Hope would be lagging behind in their computer training when the new school year starts in September.

Two years ago, the Canadian church presented 102 computers to Project of Hope. They were shared among churches and schools in the area.