Tobago Launches Groundsmanship Training Programme
Tobagonians will soon have an opportunity to receive professional training in groundsmanship, following the launch of the Principles of Groundsmanship Training Programme on the island.
The initiative, a collaboration between the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the THA’s Division of Youth Empowerment and Sport, forms part of a national effort to improve the maintenance and management of sporting facilities across the country.
THA Secretary for Youth Empowerment and Sport Keigon Denoon said that while significant emphasis is often placed on sporting infrastructure, the playing field itself remains at the centre of every sporting experience.
« But when you walk into a facility and the field is well manicured, well cut and well prepared, it gives you a sense of pride, it’s like wow, you are forgetting about the actual facility and focusing on the field. And that is because the field is the playing area. That is the focus of the sport. »
Participants were advised to treat the maintenance of grounds as a science by Head Curator for Sport and Physical Education at The UWI, Ramnath Persad.
« The soil would have about five components, which is essential for the whole maintenance of the playing surface and the turf. »
By understanding the science being taught in the programme, participants will be able to obtain a Caribbean Vocational Qualification Level 1 certificate.
Chairman of the National Training Agency, Chandar Gupta Supersad, said, « It is recognised throughout the Caribbean region as well as other parts of the world. It is equivalent to a CXC qualification. »
With the certification, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Phillip Watts noted that groundsmen would be able to access many opportunities.
« It can lead to jobs maintaining school fields, community grounds, and recreation parks right here in Tobago. It can lead to working at our major venues, the grounds that host regional and international matches. It can lead to hotels, golf courses and resorts. »
Minister Watts indicated that this was the first of many collaborations to come that would benefit the development of sport in Tobago.
« I want to bring more opportunities to the young people of Tobago. I want to continue to develop the young people of Trinidad and Tobago. We want to bring more training, more sports programmes, and more youth development programmes to the people of Tobago. »
Secretary Denoon welcomed the collaboration, noting that strategic partnerships and innovative approaches are essential to advancing sports development and creating opportunities for Tobagonians.
