Good evening:
I am delighted to be here this evening, to celebrate you – the graduating class of the NESC Technical Institute – and your remarkable achievements.
It occurs to me that the institution from which you graduate today, is actually a lot like you are. You see – way back in 1997, the NESC Technical Institute was established by Government, with one (1) campus in Trinidad, to provide skills training for workers for Atlantic LNG Train 1 in Point Fortin. But since then, the NESC has become more – much more. In the last 27 years, the NESC has prepared thousands of graduates, not just for Train 1, but for high-demand, skilled jobs in the energy and industrial sectors across multiple campuses, not just in Trinidad, but also in Tobago. And today, besides working in Trinidad and Tobago, graduates of the NESC now work as far afield as North America and the Middle East.
The NESC’s story is a lot like your story. It is a story of metamorphosis. It is a story of starting off with a specific goal, and ending by opening up limitless possibilities. And in a very real way, that is what we are celebrating this evening. We are celebrating your metamorphosis – we are celebrating your having started off working towards your Diplomas and Certificates, and, now that you have obtained them, your future of endless possibilities.
It seems to me that, just like the NESC Technical Institute started off with one goal in mind, but has expanded to become one of the leading technical training institutions in the Caribbean, you now have it within your grasp to apply the same determination and the same commitment that you applied towards securing your Diplomas and Certificates, and build a whole new life and a whole new world for yourselves – just as the NESC has done.
Now, believe you me, I know that building a life and a world for yourselves is no easy thing to do. But then, neither was your pushing forward, day in and day out, through sun or rain, until you reached the end of your training, and got your Diplomas and your Certificates. To get your Diplomas and your Certificates – to get to this evening’s graduation ceremony – you not only had to make it through the good days – the days when you felt so excited about your training that you couldn’t wait to get to campus to learn something new – but you also had to make it through the bad days – the days when you felt no energy for being trained, and you had to drag yourself to campus through a fog of insecurity and dejection. Getting to where you are this evening was hard work. And that is exactly what building a good life and a good world for yourselves and for those you love, will require – hard, grinding, consistent work.
It would be a mistake for anyone to tell you that, now that you have your Diplomas and your Certificates, you have it made. Because the truth is, that what your Diplomas and your Certificates do, is really just give you the chance to make it. But here’s the thing – you now all have that chance. And the biggest mistake, of all the mistakes that you can make in your lives from this point forward, would be not to make use of that very chance that you have worked so hard to get. All that successful people need, is really just the chance to be successful. And what we are really celebrating here tonight, is your having created for yourselves, the real chance to be successful in the rest of your lives.
And, how do you make use of that chance? – like I said, by hard, grinding, consistent work. By applying the same determination and the same commitment that you applied towards securing your Diplomas and Certificates, in everything and in anything that you undertake from here on end. And, like I have also said, that is no easy thing to do. But, the benefit of having graduated from an institution like the NESC, is that you now know, and now the whole world knows, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that you have it in you to do just that.
My dear graduands, it is true that the job market in our country can sometimes be tight, even for persons who hold impressive qualifications. It is true that our economy has seen better days, and that graduates sometimes face difficulty in finding employment. It is true that many people are concerned about unemployment rates – in fact, a 2023 Central Bank report noted that youth unemployment was a significant social challenge. It is true that employers often express concerns about the preparedness of new graduates and complain that they often lack the skills necessary to function in their roles or the workplace in general. It is true that sometimes graduates themselves find that the transition from earning their qualification to entering the world of work, is a difficult and a trying experience.
But what is also true, is that as graduates of the NESC Technical Institute, you are uniquely positioned to contribute directly to the economic development of Trinidad and Tobago, in key areas of the economy, where job offerings are sometimes better than in other areas. What is true, is that your training has provided you with specialised skills that directly address existing skills gaps in these key areas. The programmes to which you have been exposed were designed in collaboration with local industries to ensure that you possess the necessary talent that those sectors need to grow and succeed. So that what is true, is that your Certificates and Diplomas are in precisely the areas that employers are saying they need your brand of skills at this time.
What is true, is that your training has provided a wealth of opportunities for practical, hands-on learning and real-life work experience in your chosen fields. What is true, is that the NESC offers ongoing training and development opportunities designed to keep you updated on the latest technologies and advancements in your fields, helping you to remain competitive in the job market and to advance your careers. This means that you are not only equipped with in-demand, modern skills and techniques, but are also well-prepared to enter and excel in the workforce, both at home and abroad. As I have said, many NESC graduates have successfully found work all over the world, including in the USA and the Middle East.
So, when all is said and when all is done, what is true is that, as challenging as things can sometimes be, by virtue of the training and experience that have led you to obtain your Certificates and Diplomas, you enjoy a unique advantage in the job market in Trinidad and Tobago at this time. What is true, is that your Certificates and Diplomas offer you a real chance to build a better life and a better world for yourselves.
This is why I have said that your story, like the NESC’s story, is the story of metamorphosis. You have the chance to use your Certificates and Diplomas as the means to build a completely new and exciting future for yourselves. Your options are not limited to working for companies in the energy and industrial sectors – they include working for yourselves, and establishing and building your own businesses.
In the NESC’s 25th anniversary supplement, there were testimonials from past students, both by those who found jobs in companies in the energy and industrial sectors, and by those who started their own businesses. Some of the testimonials by graduates who started their own businesses, included testimonials from persons like Kaleb Carrington – who, after graduating in 2022 with an IT Network Specialist Diploma, registered his own company which provides services from IT Networking to Website Design and Development. Some of the testimonials by graduates who found jobs in companies in the energy and industrial sectors, included testimonials from persons like Glenford Albert – who, having graduated in 2016 with a Diploma in Automotive Services, went on to work in a highly specialised area with an employer in that industry.
The point is that your options are now endless; and that you have now earned yourselves the chance to grow and expand, just , like the NESC that you are graduating from today has done, and to transform yourselves and your lives into anything that you would like them to become.
You have worked hard and tirelessly to earn yourselves that chance. Our nation needs you to now take that chance that you have earned yourselves, and make something good out of it. The stories of young men and women in this country giving up in despair and giving themselves over to a life of crime, must never be your story. The story of young people in search of a formula to ‘get rich quick’, must never be your story. The story of our nation’s youth finding themselves in the depressing position of being at either end of a gun, must never be your story. Like it or not, the responsibility is yours to change the story of the dangerous trajectory in which our nation is heading, particularly where our young people are concerned. Like it or not, history is placing on your shoulders, the burden of lifting the story of young people in this country, out from the depths to which it sometimes sinks, and upward into the light and into the successes that your hard work now gives you the chance to step into.
My wish and my prayer for you this evening, is that you will all take the chance that you have given yourselves, and go out into the world and make it your footstool, and make yours and your family’s dreams come true.
If you do that – if you make full use of the chance that you have given yourselves by completing your training with the NESC – then, in the future I guarantee that Trinidad and Tobago will be a far, far better place than it is even possible to imagine. We will all win – the young, the old, the babe in arms and even those who are now lost to crime and criminality – if you make full use of the chance that you have given yourselves.
For your own sake, for your family’s sake, for the sake of this country that we all love – my dear graduands, I beg you to take that chance.
Congratulations again, and I wish you and Trinidad and Tobago every success.
Thank you.
