Over 6000 Young People will receive on the job training this year!

Six thousand five hundred young people will benefit from temporary job placements this year under the National Youth Service (NYS) programmes. State Minister for Education, Youth and Information Floyd Green has informed that 6,000 students will be placed at public-and private-sector entities under the NYS Summer Employment Programme.

He was making his contribution to the 2016-17 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 8. The three-week work orientation programme is aimed at providing participants, age 17 to 24, with valuable work experience to facilitate their career development. In 2015, 5,205 students were placed in 2015.

Green further informed that 500 college and university graduates will be engaged under the Graduate Work Experience programme, up from 312 last year. It is open to persons with a first degree or an associate degree and who have minimal or no work experience in their area of study. Successful applicants will be placed in internships for a period of six months.

GAME CHANGER

Through its Empowerment Programme, the NYS will be looking to assist 160 youth with mild intellectual disabilities to gain employment. Last year, 81 youth were prepared for the workplace. Green, who has responsibility for youth affairs, said the Government is committed to increasing job opportunities for young people. He hailed the recently launched New Opportunities for Youth in Jamaica programme as a "game changer" in terms of youth employment and empowerment.

"Approximately 10,000 unattached young people, ages 17 to 29, are expected to benefit from it over a three-year period. Participants will receive vocational training and job placement opportunities that are to be provided by approximately 100 partner companies which will also offer internships," he said.

The $1.6-billion initiative is led by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's Youth Upliftment Through Employment programme, through partnership with the Ministries of Labour and Social Security, and Science, Energy and Technology; and organisations including the NYS, HEART Trust/NTA, and the Planning Institute of Jamaica. The initiative is being financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and local stakeholder partners.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160613/youth-benefit-job-placement