MAY PEN, Jamaica – An Aviation Training Centre will be established in the parish of Clarendon, in central Jamaica, to support the development of the Vernamfield Aerodrome, His Worship the Mayor Councillor Milton Brown, Chairman of the Clarendon Parish Council has announced.
Mayor Brown, who was speaking to more than one hundred small business operators, who attended a JN Small Business Loans Limited (JNSBL) Town Hall Meeting, which was held in the parish capital of May Pen on July 6, said that an agreement had been signed to establish the Centre in the parish.
“The Centre will focus on pilot training, mechanical engineering and will support efforts to develop the Vernamfield airstrip,” he stated, “And, it will complement other commercial initiatives to industrialise the parish by 2030.
Jamaica already has one private aviation training centre at the Caribbean Aviation Training Centre which uses the Tinson Pen Aerodrome in the parish of St. Andrew and Jamaica Defence Force operates the Military Aviation School through facilities adjacent to the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.
The government had previously announced plans to have the former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield developed as a trans-shipment hub for large cargo and passenger aircraft. Vernamfield has four airstrips, including the longest one in the island.
Work on the new aviation centre should commence before the end of the year, the mayor explained, adding that developmental work on the aerodrome should also begin by the year end.
“The aim is that by 2030 Clarendon will become the business hub of the Americas,” Mayor Brown said, stating that, “We are at the centre of the Americas, and we have the resources to become the business capital of the region.”
He also pointed out that the parish was working to develop its tourism product, which will offer a package distinct from the North Coast, focusing on a more terrestrial form of tourism.
“May Pen is open for business and the people of Clarendon are ready to increase their contribution to the economy,” the Mayor declared, indicating that there were other initiatives in the pipeline, such as the planned alumina production expansion and improved production at the Moneymusk Sugar Factory.
His Worship the Mayor Councillor Milton Brown makes a point to the audience during a JN Small Business Loans Limited (JNSBL) Town Hall Meeting at the St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church Hall in May Pen, Clarendon, July 6. The meeting focused on several issues affecting small and micro entrepreneurs in the parish and introduced persons to JNSBL’s new financial products.
The Town Hall Meeting was organised by JN Small Business Loans Limited, to update its clients and other small entrepreneurs in Clarendon about increased funding for business expansion; and its new strategies to grow the small business sector.
Mrs. Thelma Yong, Credit and Risk Assessment Manager of JNSBL, in her presentation to the small business operators, acknowledged the rapid business growth in Clarendon; and its potential for further development. “Clarendon does, in fact, have the potential to be the business hub of Jamaica and the wider region,” she said.
His Worship the Mayor Councillor Milton Brown (left), Chairman of the Clarendon Parish Council, greets Michael McLaren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the McLaren Engineering Group in Clarendon, at the start of the JN Small Business Loans Town Hall Meeting held at the St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church Hall in May Pen, Wednesday, July 6. Mr. McLaren was guest speaker at the function which addressed several issues affecting small and micro entrepreneurs in the parish and provided information on new JNSBL financial products. Sharing the moment is Thelma Yong, Credit and Risk Assessment Manager, JNSBL.
