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NYS Seeking to Recruit and Train 2,000 Young Persons

April 21, 2004

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The National Youth Service (NYS) will seek to recruit and train over 2,000 young Jamaicans this financial year.”We are now in partnerships with some private sector entities in the country, in order to ensure that we reach more young people, and engage you in a formal way in training and work placement, so that you can get on with your lives,” Executive Director of the NYS, Rev. Adinhair Jones told more than 800 young persons who attended a Youth Opportunities Fair at Twickenham Park in St. Catherine, recently.
Since the re-establishment of the NYS in 1995, the organization has sought to train and develop approximately 1,400 young persons between 17 and 29 years on a yearly basis.
The NYS is of the view that given Jamaica’s demographic spread, the age cohort 15 to 24 must be a priority in development planning, as this segment of the population will have the most lasting impact on the future of the nation in terms of life expectancy and productive potential.
Commenting on the large turn-out at the St. Catherine Fair, Rev. Jones noted that the total far exceeded what had been the average attendance at the previous nine parish fairs.
“Young people in St. Catherine are eager to get on with their lives and they are trying to take hold of the opportunities that come to them and I believe that’s an important lesson the parish can hold on to in going forward,” he said.
The Executive Director appealed to those at the Fair to make it an occasion for self-examination, for thinking seriously about their future and the kind of self-leadership that they would provide for themselves to bring them into a prosperous and peaceful future.
Reassuring the participants of the organisation’s continued commitment to assist with their development and success, he pointed out that the NYS was now aiming to ensure that over 90 per cent of the recruits would go on to higher education or permanent employment.
“We have already put one programme in place to make that happen. The NYS is going to ensure that once you come to us, it is mandatory that you go back to school to continue your Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations, so no one will have an excuse for being unsuccessful,” he added.
A tracer study that was done recently for persons who left the NYS in 2002, indicated that 61 per cent of the young people in the NYS, either went onto tertiary studies or to full employment.
The staging of a Youth Opportunities Fair in each parish since last August has been one of the organization’s most recent initiatives, aimed at exposing 6,500 youngsters to the different career opportunities and entrepreneurship possibilities within their respective areas.

Last Updated: April 21, 2004

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