Ministry of Labour Offering Training for Laid-Off Workers

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, is offering training to persons who have been separated from their jobs.
This was disclosed by Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, on the Prime Minister’s monthly radio call-in programme, ‘Jamaica House Live’, on Wednesday, March 4.
Mr. Charles explained that the Ministry’s training programme would allow individuals to be multi-skilled. “We first want to let you know that you are not going to be able to go back to the job with one skill. The HEART Trust/National Training Agency (NTA), is willing and is ready to put that skilled worker into several other areas,” he said.
He noted that the Ministry is offering the traditional classroom training as well as on the job opportunities.
“This training has started. We are doing some in the Ministry.where people switch from where they were and have gone to other jobs,” he said.
Since October of last year, just under 13,000 persons have lost their jobs, as local companies react to the global economic meltdown.
The Minister implored companies to explore creative ways in which they could keep their staff complement, instead of separating them from jobs.
“The workers, through their unions, have said ‘keep us on the job, we are prepared to do any of the three – keep the job going with lower pay; give up some of our benefits; and take shorter working week, and shorter working hours’,” he said.
In addition, the Minister informed that loans are being made available to persons who have been sent home and want to establish small businesses with their redundancy packages.