The faculty and staff of the Adult and Continuing Education Program on St. Croix took time out Monday to honor four students for completing a woodworking course, a product of An Adventure into Workforce Literacy. Albert Andrews, Yvette Benjamin, Sharine Hassell and Yvonne Martinez spent 12-weeks creating wooden picture frames, turn sticks and small benches and bookcases at a workshop at the Adult Education Center.
“Now these learners can use these skills to start businesses,” said a jubilant Principal David Rossington. “They also have gained valuable knowledge that will go a long way in helping them achieve GED certification.”
Woodworking instructor George Philip said, “This course was about using carpentry to improve the students’ ability to read and do math,” he said. “We call it Workforce Literacybecause they were able to construct these projects by following written and verbal instructions and adding and subtracting whole numbers and fractions.”
Phase I of An Adventure into Workforce Literacy was sponsored in part by the Virgin Islands Housing Authority, whose employee Campbell Carter, a community services specialist, was instrumental in getting the students to and from the woodworking shop. Program Director Irma F. Hodge and Coordinator Zelda M. Williams also contributed to the success of thefirst project. Phase II of Workforce Literacy will begin next school term.
