Unemployed men in Saint Lucia are being offered an opportunity to develop practical skills and improve their prospects for employment and entrepreneurship through a new initiative by the National Skills Development Centre (NSDC).
The MALES Project, which stands for Men Advancing in Life through Education and Skills, is set to begin in September and will provide training in areas including plumbing, electrical installation and air conditioning.
NSDC Communications Officer Lorne Jules said the programme is designed to respond to the interests and aspirations of young men while removing financial barriers to training.
“What this course does is actually it presents to them opportunities that based upon their desires, based upon what their interests are, and we’ll offer those courses to those young men at actually no charge,” Jules said.
He said the initiative is intended to equip participants with skills that can provide a pathway into the workplace or self-employment.
“We can see right now we have a programme referred to as the MALES programme and that simply means men advancing in life through education and skills,” Jules said.
Jules said participants will be able to access several technical courses at no cost.
“That project is offering courses such as plumbing and electrical installation, and you can look at AC and air conditioning and installation as well,” he said.
“All those courses can be done at the NSDC for our young men and there is no cost attached to that.”
Orientation and registration for the programme are scheduled for September 22, 2026, with classes expected to begin two days later, on September 24.
Jules said there are no specific eligibility restrictions beyond being male, with training sessions scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Orientation and registration is on the 22nd of September 2026 and we’re looking to start this course on the 24th of September,” he said.
“So of course there are no restrictions as long as you’re a male. Of course these courses will be run from 9 to 3.”
Jules said the NSDC’s approach is based on identifying areas where there is a genuine need for skilled workers rather than offering programmes without considering employment prospects.
“We don’t just offer courses at random, but instead we offer courses based upon relevance,” he said.
He explained that the center consults with businesses, young people and communities when determining which programmes to provide.
“What we’ve done is that we’ve actually liaised with the different stakeholders, including the business places, we keep our ears on the ground, we listen to what the youth are saying, what the community is saying, and based on this, we tailor programmes to solve a specific need,” Jules said.
The MALES Project is therefore being positioned as more than a training programme, with the NSDC seeking to connect skills development to the wider challenges of unemployment and economic opportunity among men.