247 job seekers placed through LMIS

A total 247 Jamaicans were placed in jobs over the three-month period April to June 2010 through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Labour Market Information System (LMIS).
In addition, 584 job vacancies were posted on the online job search and placement facility and 1,031 persons were referred for proper training. The system attracted 2,177 job seekers over the period.
State Minister for Labour and Social Security, Hon. Andrew Gallimore, made the revelation on Friday November 26 at a training workshop on the system for guidance officers and counsellors held at the Ministry in Kingston.
The workshop aims to assist the counsellors to utilise the system to identify training and job opportunities for young people, and also equip them with the skills to train other counsellors in its use.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Andrew Gallimore (left) greets Guidance Counsellor, St. Andrew Technical High School, Courtney Thomas (right) during a training workshop on the Labour Market Information System (LMIS) at the Ministry’s offices in downtown Kingston. Looking on are Senior Education Officer, Secondary Co-ordination, Ministry of Education, Nordia Birthwright-Hill (2nd left); and Guidance Counsellor, Boys Town All-Age, Janet Barton-Oakley.

Mr. Gallimore said that counsellors play an integral role in moulding the lives of young people and as such, training them to assist youngsters to make better choices is important.
“You are a critical part of moulding the future of this country. Our young people, without doubt, are going to write the next chapter of our country’s history and you, the guidance officers and counsellors, play a critical role,” he said.
He noted that the system is able to identify the industries that are growing so that counsellors will be better able to guide students on a career path that will ensure that they are employed after school.
The LMIS, which targets students, parents, guidance counsellors, career developers, employers, and post secondary institutions, gathers a range of qualitative and quantitative information related to: employment levels, unemployment, the educational levels of persons in the labour force, education and training, which will be required by the labour force in the future, and industries that are growing and contracting.
The system represents an integrated and coordinated approach to the collection of information; facilitates collaboration between users and producers thereby ensuring the relevance of the information being produced; and facilitates greater accessibility to information on the labour market.
The LMIS can be accessed through the Ministry’s website at www.mlss.gov.jm, or directly at www.lmis-ele.org.jm.