A release from the Ministry of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development said the payments were commensurate with tenure on the programme.

The workers collected their cheques yesterday at the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies, where representatives from the ministry’s National Employment Services Unit, Co-operative Development Division, National Entrepreneurship Development Company (NEDCO) and the Fair Share Programme were on site for those seeking either employment or opportunities in entrepreneurship or setting up a co-operative.

The restructured OJTP, which will begin tomorrow, will see “a new, streamlined organisational structure that removes the duplication in several support unit areas at both the ministry and the OJT programme,” said the release, This new structure has 14 positions and provides for 62 employees, of whom 40 will be employed on contract and 22 will be on the ministry’s staff. The 22 were previously employed by the former OJTP. They applied for the positions that were advertised, went through an interview process and were given the jobs after being assessed with other applicants.

The recruitment took place over a threemonth period.

The OJTPs main objective is aligned to Government’s policy and linked to the ministry’s action plan. This objective is an integration of On-the-Job Trainees (OJTs) into productive and sustainable employment after training.

The restructured OJTP, the release said, “will therefore place emphasis on a robust training and certification programme and implement a more effective placement procedure with emphasis on quality as opposed to quantity.” The release said OJTs could be assured of the continuity of the OJTP and that there would be some familiar faces to address their expected concerns in this new phase of the programme.

The three priority areas for the new OJTP as of tomorrow will be the timely payment of stipends to trainees on June 15; to minimise as far as possible the potential disruption to the registration and placement of those interested in the OJTP; and to ensure a staff-orientation exercise for training in effective service delivery. The OJT Programme was established in 2002, to provide people between 16 and 35 with an opportunity to gain practical experience in the workplace and assist in the development of professional and interpersonal skills necessary for success.

In February 2016, Cabinet decided to move the programme from the National Training Agency to the Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development.

The Ultimate Allrounder Singlewicket Cricket Challenge will be a day/night competition from 4-10 pm .

Allrounders from PowerGen, Queen’s Park, Merry Boys, Alescon Comets and two Tobago clubs will battle each other in three groups of four with the group winners contesting the semi-finals and, subsequently, the grand final .

The tournament winners pockets S15,000 and the losing finalists $5,000 .

Other incentives are available for allrounders and fieldsmen who are selected from the top cricket clubs in Tobago. The major sponsors of Ultimate Allrounder Cricket Challenge 2017 are National Lotteries Control Board, Bmobile, First Citizens and THA (Tobago House of Assembly) .

Here is a look at two of the expected participants – Mark Deyal and Akiel Cooper .

MARK DEYAL Mark Deyal is the reigning champion of Ultimate Allrounder Cricket Challenge. He made his First-Class debut for Trinidad and Tobago in the last match of the 2014/15 Regional Four-Day Competition against the Leeward Islands .

He has played for both Trinidad and Tobago and the Combined Campuses and Colleges in West Indian domestic cricket, as well as representing the Red Steel franchise at the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) .

Deyal subsequently signed with Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel for the 2015 CPL. He made his debut for the team against the Jamaica Tallawahs and scored 23 runs from 25 balls coming in sixth in the batting order. For the 2015/16 Regional Super50, Deyal switched from Trinidad and Tobago Red Force to the Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners, making his debut for the team against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes .

Mark is determined to defend his title on Saturday .

AKIEL COOPER Former Trinidad and Tobago Under-15, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-23 player, Akiel Cooper captained the national Under- 17 team to regional glory .

Cooper has played Premiership cricket in Trinidad since he was a teenager, with clubs including First Citizens Clarke Road, Jenexcon Tableland and presently in his second stint with Powergen Sports Club. He scored a century just last weekend for his club in the final round of Premiership matches for the season .

This year Cooper made his debut with Trinidad and Tobago Red Force team at regional level, playing against Barbados Pride and the Leeward Islands Hurricanes .

He is a hard hitting middle order batsman who opens the bowling for his club in the Premiership with his wily medium pace .

Cooper made his first appearance in Singlewicket Competition in 2014 as part of the fielding unit and returned in 2015. In 2016, in Tobago for the first time he was part of the main draw and did well to get to the semi-final, eventually losing out to fan favourite, Navin Stewart .

The three men, a 32-year-old from Jermingham Junction, Cunupia, and two men, a 26-year-old and a 24-year-old both from Ragoonanan Road, Cunupia were held on Sunday during an exercise in the Cunupia area.

Police received information which led them to Ragoonanan Road, Cunupia.

Police carried out an exercise in the area, which led to the recovery of three vehicles and two engines in a forested area, 200 metres of the road.

Two of the vehicles recovered were reported stolen from the car park of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, on May 17, while the other was reported stolen from Oropune on May 22.

The 30,000 square foot store is the eighth Pennywise in Trinidad; there are none in Tobago .

It features prominently in Pennywise Plaza, located at the corner of La Bel Air Road and South Trunk Road, La Romaine .

At the store’s grand opening yesterday (Monday) morning, Pennywise Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dalvi Paladee, told reporters the company chose to relocate to their own plaza because “at no location, in any mall, can we get this amount of space.” “To have 30,000 square feet and the luxury of a shopping cart in a Pennywise store, it’s something that we want to (replicate in our other stores) as we go along. This store has about 160 staff. We employ about 850 total .

We don’t have any stores in Tobago yet because we’re still trying to get our footprint correct here (Trinidad).” The plaza was originally scheduled to open one year ago but, as Paladee explained, it ended up taking three years “because we had to get the infrastructure ready and the planning, of course, for such a magnificent building, it takes time to get it right.” The layout includes shopping carts, wide aisles, a pharmacy and fewer items kept behind a counter. Paladee said management decided to have more self-service displays “because with so many people buying,” continuing to have sales staff provide one-onone service had become “a challenge.” “But now, with the ability of the customer to pick up products off the shelf, it’s going to enhance their experience.” The rest of the space in Pennywise Plaza is scheduled to be fully occupied within the next two months .

One of the lease holders plans to open a vegetarian restaurant .

Pennywise Plaza is open Mondays – Thursdays from 9 am to 7 pm and on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 am to 8 pm .

WHEN Mark Zuckerburg and his team launched Face- Book on February 4, 2004, the intention was to create a social networking platform that allows for healthy exchange through dialoguing, debates, conversations and overall communication.

However, within the last two months the International Women’s Resource Network has been inundated with calls and messages from women expressing concern about not only the unhealthy levels of exchange, but also their own personal experiences. Whilst the impact of social media triggers both positive and/or negative outcomes, and has also changed lives on how we connect and engage, it also creates an opportunity for users to negatively pinch the backs of others, some of whom become deeply offended.

Issues surrounding social media are inescapable and therefore, as individuals, we need to identify our own unique mechanisms to navigate throughout the social media ocean; that navigation also requires us to exercise some level of personal responsibility for our actions and behavioural patterns as well. It’s great to have healthy debates keeping in mind that every individual is diverse and unique, and so, opinions and views on issues would differ, but it’s another thing to become personal in your posts and/or responses and to even use offensive language.

One of the psychological issues that remains at the forefront, is the need by many, in particular women, to amalgamate as many “likes” as possible from their posts, and when this does not happen, some have indicated to us that they are immediately driven into a state of depression.

Scientifically, this is a call for a rain check on your self-esteem and self-confidence, as these important components of your being, existed before the introduction of social media platforms.

Another concern raised was that of becoming so immersed in social networking, that self-neglect steps in, as well as family, friends and even children.

Again a quick rain check here as your family and relationships and most importantly you must always come first.

Avoid allowing social media to distract from your daily chores and responsibilities.

Spending lots of time engaging in online befriending was also raised to the extent that some of the complainants are fearful that this may be a weakness that has taken over their psyche.

Before making online friends, it is highly advisable to check their profiles/background, as we have had a couple instances where women were hoodwinked into different beliefs. Lacking focus and reduction in productivity levels were also brought to the table. Once there is continuous navigation on social media platforms, your brain will eventually wear, and ultimately your attention span diminishes; before this happens, it is best to strike a balance between your normal routine and your social media time.

Another common concern is the compulsion felt by some to share various types of photos which sometimes result in strange comments. Remember all that is shared on social networks automatically becomes public, and therefore, it is best to exercise greater caution is sharing.

As I stated earlier, social networking is fabulous, but the key is personal responsibility.

Sandrine Rattan is a communications/ branding consultant, author and president of the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) Contact: thecorporatesuitett@ gmail.com, intlwomensresourcenetwork@ gmail.com or contact 283-0318

Since his return, St James is as clean as a whistle. Drivers obey the law when he is around. He’s a no-nonsense officer, and the public is aware of that.

Keep up the good work, sir. You were sorely missed.

M SANKAR St James

The Flow SCCL Girls Under- 15 final between Barrackpore West Secondary and Holy Name Convent (Port of Spain) will also form part of the double-header at the ground. This match is expected to get underway at 10 am .

South will be spearheaded by national under-15 captain Tariq Mohammed who has been in very good form recently while East Zone will have Sion Hackett as their leader as they also seek to topple their southern counterparts and emerge victorious in a match that promises to be very exciting. Before each match, the teams will be introduced to Cindy- Ann Gatt (FLOW’s director of marketing) and Surujdath Mahabir (SSCL president) .

Teams – SOUTH: Tariq Mohammed, Rodney Beharry, Ryal Narine, Vinesh Narine, Nickyle Jalim (Presentation College, San Fernando); Kyle Roopchand (Naparima College); Akash Dhanraj, Brandon Ganase (Barrackpore West); Kendell Poochoon (ASJA Boys, San Fernando); Jonathan Frederick (St Benedict’s College); Chris Sudanan (Marabella North Secondary). Fogenie Amin (coach) .

EAST: Sion Hackett (captain), Kavir Boodoosingh, Giovanni Ramdenny, Alexzander Kassiram, Anderson Mahase, Shazard Mohammed, Sachin Ramgoolie, Christopher Kallicharan, Vasant Singh, Tariq Singh, Jabari Phillip, Elijah Ramsaran, Jedidiah John, J’ Hayden Sealey; Vinood Maharaj (coach), Kumar Singh (manager

There will be matches in the Under-19 and Under-21 division, from 1 pm, while action in the Open Category will get going from 5 pm.

Cash prizes, trophies and hampers are also at stake for the victorious teams.

For more information, call 687-5285 or 784-7345.

Lots of positive achievements have been made over the past 172 years since the immigrants departed their homes in India and made Trinidad their new home. It is the introduction into Trinidad of a unique culture that continues to strengthen all races here.

In the same way that the early immigrants endured and overcame extremely tough conditions, we too as a nation must also use our strength and fortitude to rise above the complex circumstances and conditions that we currently face with the rising crime and other pressing issues.

Conventional wisdom tells us that certain crimes cannot be prevented, that the police and community at large are relatively powerless to drastically reduce violent and heinous crimes and that the difficult conditions cannot be overcome in this nation.

In order to be effective the Government must display strong moral leadership. By changing the traditional approach, homicide can be controlled and the number of homicides can be reduced more successfully.

The crime of murder has always been regarded as the most serious of all criminal offences.

The fluctuation of local incidents over the last few years has sparked national attention and remains a top priority for the Ministry of National Security.

Crime and violence are robbing us of our human capital which is our most precious and valuable resource.

High crime and violence rates present a huge challenge to the development of a country as they have an adverse effect on human welfare in the short term and economic growth in the long term.

The fear of crime remains the most important issue on the minds of Trinidadians. Moreover, the direct effect that crime and violence have on victims is widespread.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, murder rates in the Caribbean that average 30 per 100,000 are higher than any other region of the world.

The Caribbean is especially vulnerable to crime as it suffers from the disadvantage of being situated between the world’s source of cocaine (South America) and the primary consumer market (US).

However, sound policies at the national and regional levels can make a difference in changing the regional culture of violence.

Murder figures are considered to be the most reliable indicator of violent crimes in a country.

Murders should not be seen as solitary incidents but as fundamental indicators of social and economic issues including race, poverty, religion and social isolation.

Murder is merely a symptom of a deep-rooted social problem that has manifested itself through the trafficking of guns, the drug trade and the backlog of criminal cases due to a dysfunctional justice system.

Any crime plan that is aimed at reducing violence must take these factors into consideration in order to be successful and to gain control of the spiralling crime rate.

Having recently been the victim of an arson attack against my home in Chaguanas I have decided to follow the example of the early immigrants from India by overcoming difficult conditions with speaking engagements and my own motivational CD.

SIMON WRIGHT Chaguanas

Brenda Le Ma?tre and Jacqueline Wilson received their medals from President Anthony Carmona at the Office of the President in St Ann’s, during a brief, formal ceremony. With 53 years of service in the field of nursing and 43 of those spent at the Princess Elizabeth Centre, Le Ma?tre shaped the lives of many physically challenged children throughout the country.

A retired matron, she was considered a mother to all, and ensured discipline and camaraderie existed along with respect and love for each other.

For her unstinting selflessness and loyalty to her young wards, Le Ma?tre was honoured with the Humming Bird Medal (Gold).

Le Ma?tre, a graduate of Hammer Smith Hospital also graduated from Berkshire Hospital, both of the United Kingdom, as an orthopaedic nurse.

Jacqueline Wilson took up the mantle when she established, operationalised and managed the first incarnation of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA). She also pioneered the setting up of public service networks to advance human resource management, public policy and information communication technology (ICT) functions.

Telecommunications liberalisation was first initiated in the 1980s, but no real traction took place until Wilson was appointed permanent secretary responsible for telecommunications from 2002 to 2007. Not only did she make a contribution at the national level in telecommunications, but she also helped the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) to become a more effective entity in terms of its contribution to harmonising national policies and capacity building.

For her years of dedication to this cause, Wilson received the Public Service Medal of Merit (Gold). Wilson is also vice chairman of the Police Service Manpower Audit Committee.