Parenting workshops, increased funding for students and more training opportunities are all starting to take place in the Ministry of Education and Development as the Social Agenda continues to evolve, Minister Terry Lister (pictured) announced yesterday.

Five National Training Board initiatives are due to come online by April, he added.

From the Ministry side, a list of workshops for parents will be distributed to pre-schools and primary schools this week, Mr. Lister said. An Active Parenting for Teens workshop has been designed and will cover issues such as drugs and alcohol, communication, discipline and non-violent conflict resolution.

More than 100 students have sat the exam for a Ministry programme providing funding to the academically gifted, the Minister said. The programme is affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Talented Students.

As announced during the Budget debate, funding has also been made available for mature students to further their education, with applications currently available from the Ministry. Teacher training awards have been increased this year for those selecting education as a profession. This summer the pilot Academic Monitoring and Character Development Mentor Project will take place at West Pembroke Primary, Northlands Primary, Victor Scott and the Dellwood Middle School. One hundred and twenty students from Primary 4 to Middle 3 will participate in the programme.

Three separate Tech Quest initiatives under the NTB will begin operations in April: the Next Generation programme (for young Bermudians who have completed three years of post-apprenticeship and training employment), the Married Couples Project (for couples with technical college training and university education), and Project Alpha (for young Bermudians, especially high school students with potential for technological leadership careers).

The NTB will be providing its own High School Equivalency Diploma (the GED), as well as teaming up with the Bermuda Regiment to give soldiers technical training and education opportunities. That project began in January with a presentation to recruits at Warwick Camp, Mr. Lister said, but the final number of participants has yet to be determined.

Court Services will also partner with the NTB to provide training opportunities for Bermudians on probation, while those on the unemployed list at Training and Employment Services can take advantage of the technical preparation seminars will which also come online by April 1.