The 2010 JMA /JEA Expo gave HEART Trust/NTA a unique opportunity to showcase the superior quality of its trainees and their work. This year, the agency’s booth focused on displaying products and services of the National Training Agency.
The show stopper was the furniture created by the Portmore HEART Academy. Patrons saw displays of high quality, elegant furniture that had been locally produced. The impressive headboard and intricately carved armchairs brought glamour to the booth and the arena.
The bedding and drapes created by HEART’s GARMEX facility raised many eyebrows; as did the sophisticated quilting of the comforters and exquisitely tailored curtains and cushions. Even the houseplants that decorated the setting were grown at HEART’s Ebony Park facility.
Perhaps the only thing more exciting than the furniture and textiles was the fine array of locally produced food which was graciously served by HEART Runaway Bay trainees. Patrons enjoyed delicacies made by Ebony Park HEART Academy under the “Ebony Pride” label such as Sorrel Jam, Mango Pineapple Spread and Cheese with Pepper Jelly. There were debates about which jelly tasted better, while others were simply happy to find reasonably priced Pepper Jelly.
Some international buyers at the HEART Trust/NTA booth had serious inquiries about the Ebony Pride products, including its Pure Jamaican Honey, Spicy Cucumber Pickles and Exotic Papaya Jams; and not to be “outdone”, the trainees from the Boys’ Town Vocational Training Centre displayed their impressive bartending skills. One young bartender was approached by a well known brewery that enquired about the mix she created using a product from the brewery.
The Expo gave the Jamaican public a chance to see locally produced goods and services that can compete globally. “Today’s HEART trainees are more focused, they thrive on creativity and their output is professional,” says Roxanne Jones, an instructor on entrepreneurship at Portmore HEART Academy.
