Jada Inc and Cemix team up for new walkway at SJPI

The Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology now has a safe walkway connecting its main campus to the classroom village thanks to Jada Inc, Cemix and Lewis Pumping

On Monday, 28 March 2022, teams from the three construction companies were on site: Cemix provided the concrete, Lewis Pumping provided the pump, and labour was carried out by the team from Jada Inc.

Principal of SJPI Ian Drakes shared how the initiative came to be, saying, “We have had a challenge in terms of our safety and wellbeing as it relates to traversing from our main campus to the classroom village – we only have stones that you have to travel on and we consider it to be very unsafe for our charges and our staff. We asked JADA to pour a pathway and without hesitation they said yes.

“We have been able to get our students to develop the walkway in terms of making the construction frame and at this time they are pouring the floor in terms of JADA Inc so that we can have safe passage to our main campus to the classroom village.”

He went further to call the initiative an important move for students looking on to enter the world of work. “These partnerships are important to us and to the industry as they show their support and their camaraderie with the SJPI.

“We build our students to enter the world of work with skills and JADA now has been able to give back to the SJPI in the form of this walkway between the main campus and the classroom village.”

Leading the project was Vincent Jones, Project Manager at Jada Inc. “We are definitely happy to be working along with SJPI having worked with them with their media resource centre recently and also doing some work with their admin area. So this is a continuing partnership with them and we are happy to participate in this small venture,” he said.

General Manager of Cemix, Jason Edwards, who oversaw the concrete pour said it was vital for Cemix to give back to the community as they have done before.

“Over the years we have raised awareness for various cancers, most recently the prostate cancer initiative. And as far as this project goes it is two fold as we’re helping the school out with their infrastructure in providing a walkway between the East Campus and the West Campus but as well they also have students helping in terms of work being done here, so there is a learning component to it for technical skills,” he explained.

This initiative is part of Jada Group’s ongoing support of vocational training programmes in Barbados.