Seymour Green Promoting Skilled Trades as Viable Career Path for Youth – Jamaica Information Service

The desire to transform how Jamaicans view skilled trades, particularly plumbing, has driven entrepreneur Seymour Green to launch a school outreach initiative aimed at exposing students to the opportunities available in the profession.

Through his business, Plumbers Elite, Mr. Green has been visiting educational institutions across the island to demonstrate the technical aspects of plumbing and encourage young people to consider the field as a rewarding career option.

Speaking with JIS News, Mr. Green said many young Jamaicans are not being guided to appreciate the value of acquiring a practical skill.

“Most of our young youths are not cultured into thinking that a skill is vital to their development. A skill is also a career opportunity,” he said.

Mr. Green explained that his own journey into plumbing came through what he describes as “inspiration from God”.

He subsequently enrolled at the HEART/NSTA Trust, where he earned a Level Two certification in plumbing in 2017, before completing Level Three certification three years later.

Since entering the field, he has become increasingly convinced that plumbing can provide significant economic opportunities for Jamaicans.

“I emphasize a lot on plumbing because I’m seeing now where plumbing can be a big money earner for Jamaicans like it is in the United States and other countries,” he said.

However, he noted that despite the potential within the industry, interest among young people remains relatively low.

“There were 23 of us and it came down to 19 persons at the end of the course. Very few of us are doing the trade right now, especially at an entrepreneurial level,” he stated.

Mr. Green believes this is partly due to longstanding negative perceptions surrounding technical and vocational careers.

“Many of the kids who were in school did not come to school based on their own initiative or intuition. It was based on somebody pushing them because they would have maybe failed in high school… or just couldn’t see their way out of a situation,” he stated.

According to Mr. Green, plumbing is often misunderstood and undervalued in Jamaica.

“Plumbers in Jamaica are not respected because many of them are regarded as handymen or yardmen who simply cuts and patches a piece of pipe. But there is something called the science behind plumbing, which a lot of people are not aware of,” he added.

He noted that a lack of trained professionals often results in poor workmanship and costly repairs.

“Seventy-eight per cent of what we do on the road is correcting problems that people have had to endure from persons who are not trained in the field,” Mr. Green stated.

Through the school tour initiative, he hopes to change these perceptions by exposing students to the broader scope of the profession.

“We are now trying to make a difference in terms of approaching this from a different level by going into the schools on our school tours to let kids know that there is a viable opportunity to have plumbing become an income earner and… a lifelong skill that they can build on,” he said.

As part of the initiative, Mr. Green has delivered presentations at institutions including Northern Caribbean University, St. Mary Technical High School, Marcus Garvey Technical High School and Discovery Bay High School.

He said the programme was developed after recognizing that many parents still encourage children to pursue only traditional professions.

“You hear about the doctor, the nurse, the lawyer [and other] generic jobs,” he said, while noting that careers such as plumbing, masonry and electrical installation are often overlooked.

Importantly, Mr. Green believes skilled trades will continue to remain relevant despite advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).

“AI cannot replace plumbing; AI cannot replace a mason. They can make gadgets that can do things, but how accurate to some degree and certain places where plumbers have to go, AI can’t go there,” he argued.

For Mr. Green, the school tour is ultimately about creating awareness and opening doors for the next generation.

“Persons are not aware, so we are trying to make them aware. The school tour is all about reaching out to the children [and] educating them,” he added.

He disclosed that discussions are also under way with the HEART/NSTA Trust to have the programme’s framework incorporated as an extension of Level Three or Level Four training, with the aim of further strengthening professional development within the plumbing industry.