Prepare Young People for Work at an Early Age – Green

State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says young people must be engaged in productive activity from an early age in order to ensure that they are prepared for the world of work.

“Once our young people start early childhood institutions, right up, they should be captured in some productive activity to get the sort of skills that they need to make sure that when they finish school, they are employable,” he said.

Mr. Green was addressing a meeting with senior management officials of the National Youth Service (NYS) held on Monday (March 21), at the agency’s head office in St. Andrew.

He urged the managers to work to improve the effectiveness of the various programmes for the development of the youth, and to streamline operations where there are overlaps.

The State Minister said the Government is relying on the NYS to impart valuable skills to young people so that they can play their part in the growth of the country.

He said the Ministry will be placing focus on developing the human and physical resources of the entity so that “when we set the targets and we call on you, you can deliver the results.”

Providing valuable work experience to participants is a key function of the NYS.

Through the Corps Programme and the NYS Summer Programme (formally the National Summer Employment Programme), thousands of young people benefit from job training at various public and private sector entities across the island.

In addition to work experience and certification, the NYS offers various training programmes, which promote volunteerism, character development, discipline, democracy, citizenship and co-operation among young people.