Principal of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology Ian Drakes is singing the praises of construction group JADA Inc over its recent reconstruction of a walkway for students on the campus.
Drakes said this morning that the company’s contribution speaks volumes to the importance of maintaining social responsibility in the industry and is a statement for aspiring students looking on.
“We were able to negotiate with JADA Inc in terms of our partnership where they said to us they have no problem with being a part of the social give-back in terms of the SJPI.
“We have had a challenge in terms of our safety and wellbeing as it relates to traversing from our main campus to the classroom village – we only have stones that you have to travel on and we consider it to be very unsafe for our charges and our staff.
“We asked JADA to pour a pathway and without hesitation they said yes,” Drakes reported.
The students who were present were responsible for crafting a plan for the walkway as part of JADA’s ongoing support of vocational programmes.
“We have been able to get our students to develop the walkway in terms of making the construction frame and at this time they are pouring the floor in terms of JADA Inc so that we can have safe passage to our main campus to the classroom village.”
Drakes called the initiative an important move for students looking on to enter the world of work.
“These partnerships are important to us and to the industry as they show their support and their camaraderie with the SJPI.
“We build our students to enter the world of work with skills and JADA now has been able to give back to the SJPI in the form of this walkway between the main campus and the classroom village.
“We want to wholeheartedly thank them for giving back to the SJPI at a time when there are no funds to do so. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart,” he added.
Project manager with JADA Inc Vincent Jones told said that JADA had no reservations about donating to the cause.
“We are definitely happy to be working along with SJPI having worked with them with their media resource centre recently and also doing some work with their admin area so this is a continuing partnership with them and we are happy to participate in this small venture,” he said.
Also on site was General Manager of CEMIX Jason Edwards who oversaw the concrete pour and he said for CEMIX it was vital to give back to the community as they have done before.
“Over the years we have raised awareness for various cancers, most recently the prostate cancer initiative. And as far as this project goes it is two fold as we’re helping the school out with their infrastructure in providing a walkway between the East Campus and the West Campus but as well they also have students helping in terms of work being done here, so there is a learning component to it for technical skills,” he explained.
The three tonnes of concrete which was poured was done as part of JADA’s ongoing support of vocational programmes.