The high unemployment rate and restlessness among young men and women in his Dennery community has always concerned Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort and Spa team member, Anius Regis. When he saw the opportunity to help stem this problem, he grabbed it with both hands.
Regis, known in his community as “Tiny”, wanted to help build the skillset and qualifications of his neighbours which would ultimately better prepare them to find employment. So, with funding from the Sandals Foundation through its Team Member Support Project (TMSP) initiative, Regis has brought a skills training program for youngsters to his community.
Through this initiative, Sandals Foundation supports one winning project proposal from each of the resort chain’s 26 properties across the Caribbean with funding of up to US$2500. Fortunately for the 56 Dennery residents who will be participating in the programme, Regis’ proposal was selected as the winner from Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort and Spa.
Regis explained, “Listening to the conversations of friends and neighbours who desperately wanted to work but lacked the necessary skills to do so, I kept wondering what I could do. One day at work I was speaking to my manager about my community. He told me about the programme and encouraged me to apply. Now, here we are getting this incredible opportunity and I am so grateful to the Sandals Foundation for investing in our education.”
The programme will be delivered through the National Enrichment Learning Unit and will include courses in tiling, human relations, cake making and decorating, electrical installation and plumbing. All participants should be certified in their respective areas by the end of the programme this August.
Through the TMSP initiative, the Sandals Foundation invites employees at Sandals and Beaches Resorts across the Caribbean to advocate for projects in their communities worthy of receiving funding. Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clarke, said the Foundation has always recognized the importance of investing in the development of young men and women to help them accomplish their dreams and Regis’ dream for his community fits perfectly within the mission of the Foundation.
“The Foundation is committed to providing Caribbean people with the resources and tools to reach for greatness, so having a team member propose a skills training project gives us another opportunity to do just that. It is our promise to diligently undertake the sustainable development needed to create environments where our team members and their communities will flourish. We encourage them to dream and envision a better future with new found possibilities as we establish initiates in the communities where they are from.” The Sandals Foundation recently marked its 10th anniversary, and having impacted over 850,000 people across the Caribbean.
