July 3, 2020 | St. John’s, Antigua | SLC Communication Team
There are few things in life that are more important than having a job. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic has made job security a huge challenge for many persons around the world: the island of Antigua is no exception. This meant that many persons needed to enhance their work skills or develop new ones to ensure that they could compete in the COVID-19 reimagined job market.
Observing this need across Antigua and the rest of the Caribbean, Mr. Johann Werner Henry, a construction manager, made arrangements with the leadership of South Leeward Conference on June 18, 2020, to conduct a construction contractors’ workshop. These sessions would be for Seventh-day Adventist builders free of cost. The intention was to help train the Nehemiah Skills group members (who have been traveling and working on different islands) and the ASI team so that they could be more effective in their ministries.
As a construction manager, Mr. Henry has done work on 18-hole golf courses, housing developments, and agricultural and horticultural projects. He was an assessor for the UNDP post-hurricane Maria and Irma. He then became their Quantity Surveyor and Quality Assurance Officer for the China Aid (Barbuda Project) after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Mr. Henry shared that he had a very short window to be available to conduct this workshop. Hence, on June 20, an announcement went out via the social media platforms of our churches, promoting training sessions for the following week. The sessions started on Sunday, June 21, 2020, with six contractors and one pastor showing up at the South Leeward Conference office to participate in this very intense workshop. Pastor Shelton Benjamin was the lone pastor who participated in the training. Five of the other six builders were from the Nehemiah Skills missionary group.
On the first day of the training, the sessions started at 9:00 am and concluded at 1:00 pm. At the end of this first session, some of the builders could be heard saying, “This is something we needed.” Others were heard saying, “We really enjoyed the presentations. They were excellent.” Hence, all the participants enthusiastically looked forward to the next four days of training. These sessions were conducted from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm daily. One more builder was added for the remainder of the course.
The main aim of this workshop was to certify builders in the use of Construction Master Pro in construction estimation. The builders were trained in developing skills in the use of the Construction Master Pro workbook and Construction Master Pro calculator. In one week, they were able to complete the workbook and did many practical exercises with the aid of Mr. Johann Henry. Here are a few areas covered in the book:
- Site Development
- Excavation, fill and grade lines
- Framing (wooden, wall and joists)
- Rafters
After completing the first certification, the builders discussed other areas of need that Mr. Henry could assist them with. One key area they identified was the use of Microsoft Excel in construction estimation. Mr. Henry graciously made himself available for a second week of training with the same builders. In this second week, however, only four of the eight participants were able to complete these sessions.
As the trainees look forward to putting their newly harnessed skills to benefit others and themselves, it is the hope of the leadership of the South Leeward Conference that many others can be helped to improve themselves in these challenging times. It is also the hope of Mr. Yohann Henry to conduct these sessions in other islands across the South Leeward Conference and beyond. O’ that COVID-19 had wings that it could fly away! Then, there would be no stopping Mr. Henry and the team of builders who are desirous of touching many lives through thier varying ministries.