Pictured from left to right are Kiwanis Club of Over The Hill Nassau’s Past President, Dominique Gaitor, the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute’s Interim President, Dr. Linda A. Davis and Kiwanis Club of Over The Hill Nassau’s Treasurer, Solomon Gibson.
Photo: BTVI
The Kiwanis Club of Over The Hill Nassau recently made a donation toward its Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) Family Island student scholarship fund. For several years, the community organisation has used BTVI as a channel to meet its mission to “focus on changing the world by serving children, one child and one community at a time.”
The young Bahamians on the receiving end of the annual scholarship have typically travelled to New Providence and enrolled in one of the various programmes, like those related to Automotive Mechanics, Beauty, Construction or Fashion, offered by the institute.
This year, BTVI’s Interim President, Dr. Linda A. Davis, also encouraged the all-male Kiwanis club to become involved in its tuition-free Smart Start #dontcountusout initiative which offers workforce readiness certificates in those areas.
“We are pleased to be partnering with key pillars in Bahamian society. While always appreciative of financial support, we also look forward to the invaluable time individuals devote to mentoring our students. As BTVI boasts of its focus on application of theory, partnerships with businesses and industry in this regard are indispensable. This endorsement signals that our programmes are meeting industry benchmarks,” Dr. Davis said.
BTVI’s newest programme, Smart Start, includes a 30-hour service-learning, apprentice-type component which is incorporated in partnership with industry and business partners. With a club of men from various industries, the Kiwanis Club of Over The Hill Nassau made a commitment to compile a directory of applicable businesses that can accommodate Smart Start participants. BTVI is inviting additional companies to become involved in the Smart Start programme or assist in equipping them with starter tool and equipment kits needed for any of the four certificate programmes currently available.
The Smart Start programme began in Grand Bahama mid-July and will be launched this month in New Providence. A rollout across several Family Islands will follow by the end of September, early October. Registration is ongoing and interested persons, community organisations or businesses can email [email protected] for more information.