PM Douglas congratulates PEP workers on Nevis for seizing opportunity
Charlestown, Nevis (CUOPM) – St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has urged some 500 young persons in Nevis to make the best of their participation in the Federal Government’s People’s Employment Progrmme (PEP).
“You are engaged in a good thing. I want you to work hard. I want you to absorb all of the training that you can get. I want you not to waste the money that is being invested by the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF),” Dr. Douglas told the participants and employers at a reception.
Dr. Douglas reminded them also, that they having been trained, can access financing from the SIDF under its various programmes aimed at establishing themselves as self employed persons or owners of small businesses that can make a contribution to the economic development of Nevis in particular and St. Kitts and Nevis in general.
He congratulated them for stepping forward to make good use of the opportunities that the Federal Government has provided via the People Employment Programme (PEP.)
“Your representative in the Federal Cabinet, the Honourable Patrice Nisbett, has been keeping us very well informed in terms of the needs that exist in Nevis, the areas in which he thinks that the Federal Government might be of greatest help, and the ways in which you – and Nevis itself – have been benefitting from the PEP. And so, coming over to Nevis to be with you, to meet you, and to hear about your experiences and your dreams, has been a priority of mine for a long time. And today, here I am! And so are you! I know that you know, at a personal level, what PEP means to you,” said the Prime Minister.
He said his Government is committed to making sure that every person has the opportunity to pursue their personal and special interests, to develop their talents, to become positive, constructive and productive members of society.
“I have lived longer, I have seen more, I understand more, and so I am in a very good position to tell you – with absolute confidence – what it takes to develop a good and positive life. Because this is a part of why the PEP was established as well. And the secret to a good and positive life is very simple, really. There are a few things that have to be a part of your life every day, for as long as you live, and this is what they are: Self-respect. You know, respect for yourself. Respect for others. Treating others with respect; Discipline. Doing what you have to do – whether you feel like it or not. This is very important. All of us – you, me, Mr. Parry, and President Obama – have things that we sometimes may not feel like doing. But if they are our responsibilities, we simply have to get up, get moving, and do them. And, Working hard. Yes – hard work,” Prime Minister Douglas said.
“Calling to the participants to seize every opportunity to learn as much as they can while they are a part of the PEP, Prime Minister Douglas said: “If you are in training, realize, with each new day, that you are being given a precious opportunity to know more today that you knew yesterday, and that that new knowledge, and that new skill, could be key to your future ability to start your own business, to generate your own income, or get some job, in particular, that you have really been hoping for.
He also had advice for the PEP workers: “If you are not in training, and you are, instead, on a job-site, in an office, or helping to beautify the island, dedicate yourself to your responsibilities fully. Understand what the rules of your job are, and follow those rules. Be respectful to the persons for whom, and with whom, you work. Pitch in and help when you see that extra help is needed. Believe it or not, this will benefit you more than it will benefit the persons for whom you work because you will be establishing yourselves as persons of special value. Seize every opportunity you can to learn as much as you can. No matter how simple.
And even when it seems difficult. Because learning – of all types – is worth more than silver and gold. It is possible to lose silver. It is possible to lose gold. But once you know something that you did not know before, no matter how simple it may seem to you, it is all a part of your personal growth and development. And no-one will ever be able to take your skills, or what you know, away from you.”