Two years after its 2022 launch, Barbados’ flagship youth skilling program Project Dawn has already delivered life-changing opportunities to more than 500 young people across the island, and this week it welcomed a fresh cohort of 115 participants set to gain hands-on vocational training tailored to boost employment, entrepreneurship, and long-term personal growth.
The official orientation for the 2024 cohort took place Thursday at the Jean and Norma Holder Hospitality Institute in Marine Gardens, Hastings, where government officials and institute leaders outlined the program’s proactive, community-centered mission to address youth disengagement and expand economic inclusion. Senator Shane Archer, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Youth and Culture, emphasized that Project Dawn was intentionally designed to intervene early, rather than respond to crisis after the fact.
“Through Project Dawn, over 500 young people are being upskilled through different forms of training, delivered across leading Barbadian educational institutions including the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute, Barbados Community College, and the Vocational Training Board, as part of a broader national youth strategy,” Archer told the assembled participants. “The idea is simple. We do not want to wait until a young person has fallen through the cracks and then say we should have done something. We are trying to be proactive. We want to reach you early, expose you to the opportunity to build confidence and give you something productive that you can turn into a realistic future.”
Archer added that the initiative forms a core pillar of the government’s broader work to steer young people away from disillusionment and idleness by providing tangible, hopeful alternatives. “We are working to prevent young people from going astray by giving them alternatives — alternatives to idleness, alternatives to hopelessness and alternatives to believing that Barbados has no place for us,” he said.
The new cohort will undertake structured practical training across seven focused classes, covering in-demand hospitality sector skills including professional cookery, bartending, hotel housekeeping, and international cuisine. According to Archer, this industry-aligned training opens doors to opportunities that extend far beyond local borders, with pathways to full-time employment, small business ownership, and long-term careers available locally, across the Caribbean region, and globally.
“Today is not simply about an orientation. Today is the beginning of an opportunity,” Archer said. “These are skills that can lead you into employment, entrepreneurship and for some of you, careers that can take you across Barbados, across the region, and potentially across the world.”
He urged participants to approach the training with intentionality, noting that current life circumstances do not predetermine future success. “Your circumstances today do not have to determine your destination tomorrow,” Archer said. “You have been given an opportunity through the Division of Youth Affairs. Take it seriously. Build the skill, build the discipline, build a network and build something for yourself, your family and by extension, your nation, Barbados.”
Roderick Prescod, Director of the Jean and Norma Holder Hospitality Institute — which runs the on-site training facility at PomMarine Hotel — echoed Archer’s enthusiasm, noting that the government-backed initiative delivers far-reaching benefits for the entire Barbadian economy. “The opportunity being provided through the government is critical for our development, not only as the industry, not only for tourism and hospitality, but for the economy of Barbados as a whole,” Prescod said.
To ensure trainees receive training that matches modern global hospitality standards, Prescod announced the institute is currently undertaking a major upgrade of its core training facilities, including front-of-house operations spaces, conference areas, and reception zones. “The purpose of these upgrades is to make sure that we are presenting an environment that is aligned with current industry standards, which would allow you, the students, to have the best possible environment for training,” he added.