It was a day of fun, fellowship and hard work as members of ARC Manufacturing Ltd joined forces with representatives from the Hunt’s Bay Police Station and the Police Youth Club to renovate and repair much-needed areas of the Haile Selassie High School.

The move which came amidst prolonged turmoil and violence in the community saw the Spanish Town Road citizens and school body giving their support to paint and repair the male and female bathrooms, do a complete overhaul of the Home Economics classroom and bathroom, as well as the Cosmetology department. The school is set to undergo further renovations, as it provides a haven for students from surrounding communities.

ARC Manufacturing Ltd strives to be a pillar of support for the community by taking on projects aimed at improving the lives of citizens in the area, especially children. The manufacturing giant hopes to continue this and future work that is aimed at fostering healthy relationships throughout the communities.

“We don’t want to just exist in our community, we want to be felt. ARC is known as the building materials specialist but we want to also be known to build relationships in communities across Jamaica”, states Executive Chairman, Norman Horne.

It is with this commitment to their community that ARC remains the employer of choice for more than 350 workers, with over half of its workforce originating from the surrounding area. ARC Manufacturing is Jamaica’s leading manufacturer of premium-quality building materials for over 22 years and serves both domestic and international markets.

Executive Chairman at ARC Manufacturing, Norman Horne entered an unchartered territory recently when he presented to the Grade 1 students at the Dupont Primary & Infant School. Horne stepped into a classroom with children who aspire to be doctors and lawyers, to gift them a selection of reading books, to help them along their way.

Mr. Horne explained that the initiative came as a result of joining the global conversation around reading, which as we know is a powerful tool to further education and inspire our nation’s future leaders.

Horne championed the captivated audience of four and five-year-olds to ”use these books as your tools to become the policeman, the doctor, nurses, and lawyers you want to be when you grow up”. “We are here to guide you our future leaders along that journey, and it all starts here, with these books, that I am sure you will treasure.

This initiative is one of many taken by the manufacturing giant in its efforts to help improve the quality of education provided to students.

“Our children are at a stage where they soak up everything around them. So we are happy to have role models in our community who assist us with providing quality education for our students,” shared Principal Andrew Rowe as he thanked the ARC team for their contribution.

“We are grateful for the assistance of this nature, which we can use to make a significant and lasting impact,” Rowe posited.

ARC Manufacturing Ltd. is Jamaica’s leading manufacturer of premium-quality building materials for over 22 years and serves both domestic and international markets. ARC is the employer of choice for more than 350 workers, with 70% of its workforce originating from surrounding communities.

From sweeping floors to operating the fabric mesh machine; from gaining work experience to becoming a Machine Operator; or packing products for retail customers to being team leader of the Roofing Plant. These are a number of the successes shared by females employed on the manufacturing plants at ARC Manufacturing Ltd.

Being one of the largest building material suppliers and distributors in the region, hiring female workers to operate in a male-dominated field, is no easy feat. However, ARC is not afraid to embrace the growing phenomenon of gender equality in the workplace.

Team effort and personal development are factors that contribute to some of these successes and Nicola Livermore, one of Team Leaders at the Roofing Plant, can attest to this.

“I have been at ARC for the past ten years, and it’s one of the best things I have done in my life”. She continued to explain that there is no task in her department that she is unable to perform, as they all “work as a team and help each other to grow.”

I have gained a lot of experience and knowledge being at ARC since working across departments; that is from the Cement Warehouse to the Retail Operations Department. Now I operate machines in the Roofing Plant, all because I work hard,” Livermore continued.

Livermore, who credits her success and growth to a lot of prayers, is also grateful for the company’s commitment to personal development through its workforce certification programmes, as she sets her eyes on working in the Sales Department.

“As a family-owned business, we pride ourselves in operating as a unit. Through the H.E.A.R.T Trust NTA, ARC provides certification opportunities to our machine operators, so that employees have an opportunity to develop themselves. We see no gender, only hard-working individuals working together to achieve one goal,” states Chairman Norman Horne.

Jobs in manufacturing tend to be ‘a man’s world’ however, ARC continues to push these boundaries with a workforce of over 20% of females and prides itself as being one of Jamaica’s most customer and market-oriented businesses.