Carnegie observes 84th Anniversary

May 25, 2017 News

Plans afoot to introduce new courses
The Carnegie School of Home Economics is celebrating 84 years of existence.

A section of the gathering yesterday as Carnegie marked 84 years of establishment.

To observe the occasion, a simple ceremony was hosted at Carnegie’s D’Urban Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, location, yesterday.
The 84th anniversary celebrations attracted a sizeable gathering of staff members, students, (Carnegie) board members and special invitees.
The event was marked by dancing and singing and other performances from members of the student body.
The ceremony included the presentation of tokens of appreciation to several recipients within the various departments.
The day’s activity also included a health fair, a showcase of food, craft and other items produced by the students and teachers of Carnegie.
This year, the anniversary was observed under the theme “Be Not Weary In Well Doing,” a phrase which the Principal, Penelope Harris, said it is most fitting given the track record of the institution which was established in 1933 by Andrew Carnegie.
Carnegie was created as an avenue for young women to gain employment and as a way of earning money. The school was first named Carnegie School of Trade but was subsequently renamed Carnegie School of Home Economics.
Over the years, the head teacher said the school has had a number of achievements.
Drafted in 1933 by the Carnegie Trustee of the United Kingdom, Harris told the gathering that “the institution was initially established to provide employment for women in the form of making uniforms for postal workers.”
But after the institute was adopted by the Government in 1937, the programme expanded and the school was renamed “Carnegie School of Home Economics.”
The school then catered to the needs of the hospitality industry, and provided training of home economics teachers.
Those teachers would go on to educate thousands of students that would eventually graduate from Carnegie equipped in their various fields of work.
According to the Principal, as the demand grew the various departments within the school were established.
Back in 2006, Harris noted the school started to be governed by a board, which was appointed by the Minister of Education.
With the assistance of successive chairpersons, we are able to improve many of the systems and to remain on the path of continuous development.
By the early 2000, in addition to a Catering Department, Carnegie had a Social Amelioration Programme, General Cosmetology Programme and a Garment Construction Programme.
“Our major thrust over the past ten years has been expansion of the faculties and retooling of the kitchens and labs in order to prepare for the competency based education and training programme which lead to the Caribbean Vocational Qualification . We have also agitated with some success for the establishment of a national hospitality institute.”
Additionally, the school has resuscitated a number of committees including the quality assurance team, the maintenance team, publications group and welfare and planning committee.
At present, Carnegie’s average intake for the last five academic years has been 200 students for the full-time courses and 1000 students per term for evening classes.
Harris posited that on a daily basis, the institution continues to receive many requests from industry partner for various training courses in skills related to home economics.
“The demand is mainly in the areas of housekeeping, food and beverage service and catering and etiquette, “ she specified.
“We look forward to having all of our instructors trained as assessors, which will pave the way for us to offer Caribbean Vocational Qualification in at least two programmes, come September.
“We also plan to introduce another two-year Diploma Course, this time in Nutrition and Dietetics,” the head teacher added.

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