3,000 PATH Beneficiaries to Receive Training, Employment and Business Support

Some 3,000 eligible members of the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), will benefit from $33 million in training, employment, and entrepreneurial services this financial year, under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Steps-to-Work programme.
The programme, which is being piloted in Kingston and St. Andrew, Clarendon, Manchester, St. James and Trelawny, aims to provide PATH beneficiaries with the necessary support so that they can effectively participate in the productive process.
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles, who opened the 2009/10 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday (June 23), explained that under Steps-to-Work, skills training for suitable adults from PATH households will be undertaken by HEART Trust/NTA in collaboration with the Ministry, which will identify and monitor the progress of the participants.
Persons will be encouraged and assisted to establish microbusinesses, with business development, project and financial management and marketing support, to ensure the success of their ventures.
Meanwhile, the Ministry is also working closely with the police to identify persons, who can benefit from the Youth Empowerment Strategy, which is targeted at deportees and young people, 16 to 30 years old, who are at risk of becoming involved in crime.
“In the first phase, low income communities such as Allman Town and Denham Town (both in Kingston), and Summerfield in Clarendon have been selected,” Mr. Charles informed.
So far, more than 260 persons have been registered for this programme and 21 projects have been funded in the amount of $1.5 million.
These include education and training; light manufacturing; entrepreneurship and agriculture. For this year, another $5 million has been provided in the budget for similar initiatives.