Youth Urged to Develop Innovations to Help Solve Society’s Problems

Executive Director, Junior Achievement Jamaica, Alphie Mullings-Aiken, is urging young people to pursue career paths that will enable them to create wealth while offering solutions to some of society’s problems.

She noted that many innovative ideas have been developed in the areas of information communication technology and robotics.

She cited the example of Whatsapp, a free messaging and calling application, which has provided a solution to high telecommunications costs.

Mrs. Mullings-Aiken, who was addressing a youth forum at the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s (PIOJ) Oxford Road offices on February 17, urged the participants to begin to think about how they can make an impact.

“I want you to think about what is the problem I have personally, how can I solve that and how can I make money from that? That’s what our entrepreneurs are doing around the world,” she pointed out.

The forum was staged by Junior Achievement Jamaica in partnership with the Vision 2030 Jamaica Secretariat at the PIOJ and formed part of activities to mark National Careers Week from February 13 to 17 under the theme: ‘Expanding Horizons for Vision 2030’.

It included interactive sessions highlighting new and emerging jobs in order to assist students in making wise career choices. It also provided them with an all day experience in a work environment.

Programme Director, Vision 2030 Jamaica Secretariat, Elizabeth Emanuel, told JIS News that the objective was to engage students in a “visioning exercise” about the Jamaica they want by 2030.

It also served to help them better understand their role in the fulfilment of the National Development Plan.

“So they are not only beneficiaries of whatever development gains that we (achieve), but they also contribute to making Jamaica that place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business,” she said.