In almost every community across Jamaica, you can find youth who harbour dreams of making it big in some creative endeavour. From community dance groups to the dancehall artistes and the fashion designers. Not so long ago, in the 1980s and 1990s, Jamaican music, dance and fashion emerged as a unique, energetic force on the world stage, influencing brands like Clarks.
Jamaican creatives have never lacked talent or innovative ideas, as evidenced by the influence of Brand Jamaica. Where they fall short sometimes is structure, support and the necessary systems to improve their chance of success. The HEART/NSTA Trust has developed a structured programme, the Apprenticeship for Creative Expressions (ACE), to create a pathway for creatives to achieve success.
ACE programme launched across all six regions of the HEART/NSTA Trust
A total of 83 apprentices, supported by over 30 industry partners, came together across six regions on September 29, 2026, to launch the one-year programme. Each function was supported by senior members of the HEART/NSTA Trust team and endorsed by board members like creative entrepreneur and business leader Keneea Linton-George. Speaking to the partners via a video message, she highlighted their function in developing the participants in the programme: “Your role is far greater than providing a placement. You are helping to shape a developing creative professional.”
Programme structure
The programme is structured in three phases. Phase 1, the foundation stage, is designed to develop the apprentices’ critical thinking, financial literacy, work ethic and teamwork, along with customer service, dress and deportment, and occupational health and safety. Juvan Blair, one of the participants, said of his experience: “I learned a lot of skills, like work-based skills, and how to carry myself as an employee.”
Phase 2 builds on the foundation, with apprentices placed from October 1 in multimedia, woodcraft, dance and photography, among others, supported by their assigned mentors and monitoring officers. Phase 3 will provide the systemic support whose absence has stymied the growth of so many creative micro-enterprises over the years. Apprentices will receive entrepreneurship training starting in April 2027, covering areas such as business planning, financial management and marketing.
Fashion Apprentice Shindelia Lawrence was on a very different path before ACE.
“Before the ACE programme, I was in ACCA,” she said, referring to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. “However, I really had an interest in sewing and creating my own clothes.”
She started searching for a programme that could teach her the skill, and found one sooner than she expected. “I stumbled upon the ACE programme on their Instagram page and I was like, is this God? Because at the time it was just posted and I signed up right away.”
With the foundation phase behind her, she is focused on the workplace. “I’m honestly looking forward to working and actually learning on the job and just expanding in the fashion area as well.”
For Juvan Blair, the programme is a doorway into employment. “I didn’t really join the working world fully, but now I have the opportunity to experience the working world,” he said.
Roshenae Simmonds, a recent graduate of Hampton School who will focus on graphic design and photography, is enjoying the freedom to create. “I love creative things, and I love to see when what is in my brain comes alive,” she said.
The partners who are opening their doors to these apprentices see the programme as just as important for industry. Lacy-Ann Bartley, Chief Executive Officer of Bartley’s All in Wood, said the productive sector cannot develop without it. “It cannot be done unless we are training the next generation. Small businesses form the pillar of our economy and communities.”
Jamaican creatives carried music, dance and fashion to the world with talent alone. With ACE, the next generation will have the structure, support and systems to go with it.