Sterling Products Limited yesterday awarded fourteen of its employees after they successfully completed a Literacy Programme.
The programme began in August last year when twenty- one employees were selected but fourteen actually participated.
Throughout the programme the employees were taught English and mathematics, writing and other basic literacy and numeracy skills aimed at enhancing their performance at work and their lives as a whole.
CEO Ramsay Ali said that he is pleased that the programme has had the full support of the management and has been running for over five years, adding that the company has been benefitting tremendously with the acquisition of knowledge by the employees.
While congratulating the participants for taking the time, he noted that it takes a lot of courage for them to say that they needed to better themselves and to actually take steps to do so.
Giving the course overview was Energy Management Officer Joel Heywood who said that the students were placed into two groups with two levels of learning and for the first two months they were taught English and then mathematics was incorporated. At the end of level one an assessment was done by the students to determine advance to level two where ten of the fourteen were successful.
Head of the National Literacy Unit Mohamed Odeen urged the participants to set goals in life if they had not done so as yet and he also said that “it is never late to dream….never give up on your dreams.”
He also urged the employees to use what they have gained to better themselves and enhance their productivity at work.
He lauded Sterling Products for the initiative because they have dedicated time and resources to get their employees up to par in their educational quest. Odeen noted that some employers see their employees as disposable assets that can always be replaced but Sterling has taken it to another level as they seek to educate their employees.
He added that the Ministry of Education is willing to work with all companies to educate their employees.
