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The Education & Employment Directorate has this month launched a Training Needs Assessment Survey to gather information on the training needs of organisations on St Helena.

This survey aims to highlight the training needs of private sector companies and the public sector on an organisational level both for the forthcoming academic year and future years.  The results of the survey will be used to inform the formulation of the training plan for St Helena and to further the development of training provision going forward.

Assistant Director, Lifelong Learning, Kerry Yon, said:

“Many people might not realise all of the training programmes that we have on offer in the Directorate or the range of internationally-accredited qualifications that can be made available through both academic and vocational routes.

“Instead of trying to anticipate what organisations might need on the Island, we are asking them to help us define this by completing this survey. 

“Employers completing the survey are asked to give an estimate of the numbers of employees requiring training and to let us know if they are able to assist in the development of our training offer.  The information collated will assist us in focusing our resources and reducing gaps between the employee’s skills and the actual needs of the private and public sectors.  In all of this we are looking to support the sustainable economic development of St Helena.”

The Training Needs Assessment survey can be completed electronically via the St Helena Government website at:  https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/education-and-employment/ or you can link to it directly at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SHG_TNA

Hard copies of the survey are also available from the Public Library and Post & Customer Service Centre.  All forms whether electronically or paper-based must be completed by Friday 25 September 2015. 

SHG

2 September 2015

St Helena is updating its food safety legislation. New legislation is needed to provide food control officers with sufficient powers and support to ensure a high level of protection to the residents of and visitors to St Helena – without placing undue burdens on the food industry.

The existing Food Safety Ordinance will be updated to reflect the current industry while also being sufficiently flexible to accommodate the expansion expected in the future. The public and stakeholders will be consulted on the proposed new legislation in the coming months.

The full legislation comprises the Food Safety Ordinance and Subsidiary Regulations:

 

  1. Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations
  2. Food Safety (Products of Animal Origin) Regulations

In addition, there will be Codes of Practices detailing procedures such as inspection reports, monitoring, outbreak investigations, home slaughtering, food imports etc.

The draft legislation takes into account the introduction of new processes and products and possible new business models, such as franchises or multinational tour companies. The new Airport also brings the possibility of in-flight catering requirements.

Chairman of the Public Health Committee, Derek Thomas explains:

“The food industry is a global industry and favours the use of food safety management systems such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Point). Any new legislation has to be effective in that it will provide a high degree of public health protection but without undue burdens on either the food business operators or the control authority.

“Updated Food Safety legislation will affect everyone on St Helena and it is therefore important that all key stakeholders and the general public are involved as much as possible during the consultation process. We will ensure all stakeholders, including small businesses, are properly consulted.

“It is envisaged that home slaughtering will be allowed to continue – subject to improved standards and facilities – and we will be consulting with animal owners on this.”

Leading up to the public consultation, proposed changes to the legislation will be published in the local newspapers and discussed on radio to ensure the public is informed of the changes and how they might be affected.

Further details will be published in due course.

Notes to Editors

The Health Directorate initiated a review of food safety controls on the Island in 2014, timed to coincide with the Airport development, which will alter the economic environment on the Island, especially in the tourism sector. An increase in visitor numbers will precipitate an expansion of the food industry, while the production of safe food is in turn critical to the success of the tourism industry.

SHG

1 September 2015

For the next few weeks I am looking at food safety.  With summer just around the corner it is especially important to think about food hygiene when preparing and cooking food.

Prepare and cook food safely

Studies show that the kitchen contains the most germs in the home.

One found that the kitchen sink contains 100,000 times more germs than the bathroom.

Germs such as E coli, Campylobacter and Salmonella enter the kitchen on our hands, on raw food and through our pets. They can rapidly spread if we’re not careful.

If food isn’t cooked, stored and handled correctly, people can become ill with food poisoning, colds, flu and other conditions.  More on safe storage next time.

Washing hands

Our hands are one of the main ways germs are spread, so it’s important to wash them thoroughly with soap and warm water

Raw meat, including poultry, can contain harmful bacteria that can spread easily to anything it touches. This includes other food, worktops, tables, chopping boards, and knives.

Lots of people think they should wash raw chicken, but there’s no need according to food hygiene experts. “Any germs on it will be killed if you cook it thoroughly. In fact, if you do wash chicken, you could splash germs on to the sink, worktop, dishes or anything else nearby.”

Some people believe freezing chicken kills germs such as Campylobacter. The freezing process does reduce Campylobacter levels, but does not eliminate it completely. The safest way to kill all traces of Campylobacter is by cooking poultry thoroughly. Take particular care to keep raw food away from ready-to-eat foods such as bread, salad and fruit. These foods won’t be cooked before you eat them, so any germs that get on to them won’t be killed.

Different chopping boards should be used for raw and ready-to-eat foods.  When storing raw meat, always keep it in a clean, sealed container and place it on the bottom shelf of the fridge, where it can’t touch or drip on to other foods.

Cooking

Cooking food at the right temperature will ensure that any harmful bacteria are killed. Check that food is piping hot throughout before you eat it.  The foods below need to be cooked thoroughly before eating:

When cooking burgers, sausages, chicken and pork, cut into the middle to check that the meat is no longer pink, the juices run clear and it’s piping hot (steam is coming out).  When cooking a whole chicken or other bird, pierce the thickest part of the leg (between the drumstick and the thigh) to check there is no pink meat and that the juices are no longer pink or red.   Pork joints and rolled joints shouldn’t be eaten pink or rare. To check when these types of joint are ready to eat, put a skewer into the centre of the meat and check that there is no pink meat and the juices run clear.

It is safe to serve steak and other whole cuts of beef and lamb rare (not cooked in the middle) or blue (seared on the outside) as long as they have been properly sealed (cooked quickly at a high temperature on the outside only) to kill any bacteria on the meat’s surface.

If you’ve cooked food that you’re not going to eat immediately, cool it at room temperature (ideally within 90 minutes) and store it in the fridge. Putting hot food in the fridge means it doesn’t cool evenly, which can cause food poisoning. Find out more about storing leftovers safely next time.

Experts’ advice is to store food in the fridge below 5C – “If your fridge has an internal freezer compartment that is iced up, the fridge could struggle to maintain its temperature.”

More on food hygiene next time.

For further information please contact Georgina Young, Senior Enviromental Health Officer at georgina.young@publichealth.gov.sh, Marian Kanes, Health Promotion Trainer at hp.trainer@publichealth.gov.sh or Marian Yon, Health Promotion Coordinator  marian.yon@publichealth.gov.sh.

That’s it for this week.  Until next time,

Marian Kanes

Health Promotion Trainer

SHG

1 September 2015

Councillors will continue to hold their Constituency Meetings in September 2015. Topics for discussion will be Safeguarding, Opening Hours for businesses on Sundays, Public and Bank Holidays, and the 2016 St Helena Population and Housing Census.

All meetings will start at 7.30pm. The schedule for the remaining meetings is as follows:

Constituency Date Chair
Silver Hill Bar Wednesday,  2 September Councillor Thomas
Sandy Bay Community Centre Wednesday, 9 September Councillor Isaac
Jamestown Community Centre Tuesday, 15 September Councillor Henry
Blue Hill Community Centre Wednesday, 16 September Councillor Ward Pearce

 

SHG

1 September 2015

The Roads Section would like to inform the public that Shy Road will remain closed for another three weeks to undertake further essential repairs to the retaining walls. As normal only emergency vehicles will be granted access.

The Roads Section would like to thank the public in advance for their continued understanding and cooperation.

SHG

26 August 2015

WEDNESDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2015

The quarterly St Helena Airport Project Stakeholder Engagement Forum (SEF) will take place on Wednesday 2 September 2015 at 6.30pm at the Museum of St Helena.

The SEF is a chance for members of the public to update themselves on Airport progress and find out more information from members of the Basil Read, Project Management Unit and SHG Access Office teams.

PMU Manager Andreas Huber commented:

“These quarterly Stakeholder Engagement Forums are held to ensure that everyone is able to access information and updates on the St Helena Airport.

“The Airport will impact everyone on the Island and it is important that all stakeholders are kept informed and have a forum where they can put their questions to project team members. I would encourage anyone with an interest in St Helena Airport to come along on the night.”

Topics for discussion at next week’s SEF will focus on:

The meeting is open to all, and following the presentations, members of the public will be able to ask any questions they may have regarding St Helena Airport.

Anyone requiring further information on the meeting can call PMU Manager, Andreas Huber on tel: 24391.

SHG

26 August 2015

Executive Council met today, Tuesday 25 August 2015.  The Governor welcomed Acting Chief Secretary Gillian Francis, Acting Financial Secretary Dax Richards and a member of the public.

There was one item on the Open Agenda.   Executive Council was asked to consider and approve the Better Life Allowance policy and Amendments to Social Security Regulations. The Better Life Allowance will provide a higher level of allowance based on a needs assessment.  Executive Council agreed payments for each level – using a set of criteria – as follows:

This new policy is designed to help meet the additional costs for people who have various disabilities – giving them a better quality of life.  It will be excluded from the calculation used to determine Household Income Level under the Social Security Ordinance and Regulations – and will therefore be paid over and above any other benefits.

Executive Council agreed that this policy will have a significant positive impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people on St Helena.  The new policy will be effective from Tuesday 1 September 2015.

Included in the Closed Session was a request from South Atlantic Media Services Ltd (SAMS) to utilise the daily half-hour television broadcasting slot that is available to St Helena Government under the Television Broadcasting Licence agreement between SHG and Sure South Atlantic Ltd.

Members agreed to this, subject to various conditions – including that SHG would at all times have first call on the slot, and that this approval will run for a period of six months in the first instance after which the arrangement will be reviewed.  This approval is also subject to there being no additional requests from other parties to utilise the SHG half hour daily TV slot.

Executive Council was also asked to consider and approve the Revised Capital Programme 2015-16, which was discussed at length and agreed.

The meeting closed at 11.30am.

ExCo

25 August 2015

The St Helena Population and Housing Census will take place on Sunday 7 February 2016.

The Census team is currently consulting with the public and various stakeholders on suggested topics for inclusion, specific questions people would like to see asked, and any concerns, questions or suggestions on how the Census will run.

As part of this consultation, Statistician Paula McLeod and Senior Statistics Officer Justine Joshua will be conducting live phone-ins on local radio to ensure that everyone on St Helena, and even Saints overseas who may have an interest, are able to feed into the consultation process.

Paula and Justine will be on SAMS Radio 1 on Tuesday 1 September and Saint FM on Thursday 3 September. Both radio sessions will run from 6-7pm.

Listen live and send in your questions on the day to have them answered on air, or alternatively you can submit any questions or comments in advance via the SHG Facebook page, contact the Statistics Office on tel 22138 or email statistics@sainthelena.gov.sh.

Your feedback is vital to ensure the process leading up to the Census runs smoothly and that SHG gathers the most complete, accurate and relevant information for St Helena. The Census team is waiting to hear from you!

SHG

25 August 2015

Councillors will be holding a series of Constituency Meetings during August and September 2015. Topics for discussion will be Safeguarding, Opening Hours for businesses on Sundays, Public and Bank Holidays, and the 2016 St Helena Population and Housing Census.

All meetings will start at 7.30pm. The schedule for the upcoming meetings is as follows:

Constituency Date Chair
HTH Clinic Wednesday, 26 August Councillor Scipio-O’Dean
Silver Hill Bar Wednesday,  2 September Councillor Thomas
Sandy Bay Community Centre Wednesday, 9 September Councillor Isaac
Jamestown Community Centre Tuesday, 15 September Councillor Henry
Blue Hill Community Centre Wednesday, 16 September Councillor Ward Pearce

 

SHG

25 August 2015

 

Mark Harrington

Mark Harrington

Mark Harrington arrived on Island on 16 August 2015 to undertake his role as the first Detective Constable specialising in Historic Case Reviews for St Helena Police Service.  Mark is initially on the Island on a one-year contract, with a possible extension.

Mark will specialise in Historic Case Reviews, re-examining closed cases and assessing whether further lines of enquiry can be pursued, giving a voice to victims, and ensuring that everything possible has been done in their cases. Lesson learning will also form a part of the work that Mark undertakes, ensuring a legacy to his work. All this work will be done on a multi-agency basis and Mark will be working closely with the Safeguarding Directorate.  He will also support current criminal investigation cases, becoming involved with ongoing work in sexual offence and assault reports.

Mark spoke of the challenges that he faces in the role:

“I want to encourage the community to put their faith in the Police. Victims are at the heart of all we do and I want to work with the public – gaining their trust – as without public support, we cannot progress. Good working relationships with the community are critical and I can assure everyone that any information received will be handled very sensitively – with privacy strongly respected.”   

Mark added that the team have made him feel welcome in his new environment and are “dedicated to making an ongoing difference for the Island, laying down the foundations for the future.”

In 2005, Mark volunteered as a Special Constable and after 18 months joined Essex Police full time.  Following his initial training period Mark committed himself to a career in CID. He has spent five and a half years as a Detective and for the last three and a half years Mark has worked solely in the area of sexual offence investigations – this being his last role until taking up employment on St Helena.

SHG

24 August 2015