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September 18, 2007
Departments of Police and Education in joint-venture to prepare applicants applying to become V.I. police officers In a move to provide test-taking skill seminars towards increasing the success of applicants taking the entrance exam to join the Virgin Islands Police Department, Gov. John P. deJongh Jr. Tuesday announced the launching of an initiative between the Education and Police Departments, a joint-venture that will also include the University of the Virgin Islands and the government’s Personnel Division. deJongh said that the seminars will give about 200 persons who didn’t attain a passing grade a second chance at sitting the VIPD entrance examination. "Many of the individuals who did not pass the test were extremely close to a passing grade, and therefore, we decided to ensure that they had another opportunity in a key area of need in our community. The fact that they applied for the position of police officer indicates an interest that we want to nurture, and therefore, this approach is to provide the encouragement and support required to build the skills of our labor force." "This collaborative effort is intended to give persons who failed their initial test, along with others throughout the community, the best chance possible to pass the entrance exam," said Acting Education Commissioner Dr. Lynn Spampinato. "There are six (6) scheduled seminars that will be hosted at UVI beginning next week and throughout the end of the month." Spampinato has made her staff available to lead the instruction. VIPD Recruiter Emmett Hansen said, "We reviewed the results and found that we have many persons that were close to fulfilling their dreams of becoming members of the VIPD. Because of that, we have taken it upon ourselves to go the extra mile and assist them in boosting their test-taking skills so that they can attain their dream of becoming a member of the VIPD.”" Hansen said it is rare that three entities in an administration comes together in a joint initiative, but "we all feel that it is important to both the community and the individuals." Out of 280 individuals that took the last test only 80 passed and of that number 14 successful recruits were selected. Individuals who took the test and failed will be contacted by the Division of Personnel to register for the seminars. The seminars will be held at the UVI Campus in both districts on the following dates:
The seminars will be held at the Evans Center on the UVI St. Croix campus and at the Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas. All candidates for the seminar must report to the Education Department's Division of Human Resources on St. Croix or St. Thomas to get the preliminary reading materials. |
