Young Jamaicans Trained for the Entertainment Industry 

Budding creative industry professionals showed their fashion styling, production, and lighting design skills at an Advance Program student showcase. Advance is a workforce development program that is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by FHI 360 

These creatives are past students of the Entertainment Design, Production and Technology and Image Consulting and Fashion Styling Associate Degrees at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech).  Their showcase challenge was to execute a vibrant event reflecting the theme Jonkonnu and Dancehall: a theme deeply connected to Jamaica’s rich musical culture. The students engaged the audience with energetic models, colorful costumes, artistic makeup, and vibrant lights to reflect the moods and theme. Traditional music played while the Jonkonnu characters moved to the rhythm, taking the audience down memory lane. 

 The showcase ended with a transition to a more contemporary version of the characters dancing to current dancehall beats and building on the energy of their traditional characters. The curtains closed with the traditional and contemporary characters sharing the stage.                          

It was teamwork, and the past students were excited to get an opportunity to show industry players their skills and the role they can play in the execution of their events. 

Advance hosted the showcase, in collaboration with UTech faculty, to help students strengthen their portfolios and gain further practical experience that will help boost their creative careers.