Roseau, Dominica – (March 16th, 2021) – -Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) through its Festival and Events Department will fund six scholarships that will allow six individuals from the creative industry to become CARICOM certified in some aspect of event production. This six-week training program will be facilitated by OaktreeZ Inc who has partnered with Skills for Youth Employment in the Caribbean (SkYE) and UK Aid to develop this Production Assistant Advanced Skilled Training (PAAST) Programme for young people in the Windward Islands to include Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The PAAST Programme is an accredited National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level II programme designed in a unique live learning setting, to equip young persons with the fundamentals of the production skillset needed in the versatile creative industries of the Caribbean.
On successful completion, trainees will attain a NVQ Level II qualification as a Production Assistant in Event Production, with the skillset to be employed throughout CARICOM in in live concerts, festivals, stage shows (indoor and outdoor venues), fairs, street parties and parades, theatre and dance productions, business conferences, exhibitions, music video productions, live streamed online events and still photography productions.
The six scholarships are valued at approximately EC$17,000.00. The training program was endorsed by the Festival and Events Manager, Marva Williams, and Event Assistant Kerwin JnoBaptiste, who were part of the first cohort. Tonyson Wilkinson, Deion Anslem, Ogelly Moses, Malik Stuart, Shirvon Vigilant and Shahida Cruickshank will form part of the training programme. The individuals were selected based on indication of interest and their entertainment resumés.
The orientation for the second cohort took place on March 6, 2021. Training will commence on Wednesday March 17th, 2021. Discover Dominica Authority anticipates success from all participants and looks forward to working with OaktreeZ Inc. in the future to further enhance the contributions of professionals in the creative industry.
For more information on Dominica, contact Discover Dominica Authority at 767 448 2045. Or, visit Dominica’s official website: www.DiscoverDominica.com, follow Dominica on Twitter and Facebook and take a look at our videos on YouTube.com/discover
About Dominica: Dominica (pronounced Dom-in-EEK-a, and not to be confused with the Dominican Republic) is a haven for adventure travelers seeking a unique vacation that includes: hiking and adventure, cultural events/festivals, diving and water sports, whale/dolphin watching and canyoning adventures. Dominica lies south of Guadeloupe and north of Martinique in the Eastern Caribbean. Air travelers can connect to Dominica on Air Antilles, Air Sunshine, Coastal Air Transport, interCaribbean Airways, LIAT, Caribbean Airlines, Silver Airways, or WINAIR from the surrounding hubs of Antigua, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St Lucia, the British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. If travelling by sea, travelers may connect to Dominica on L’Express des Iles ferry service from Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Lucia and on Val’Ferry from Guadeloupe and Martinique. *Travel restrictions may apply due to the coronavirus pandemic. Please verify schedules with air and sea carriers.*
