Beneficiaries of the National Youth Services’ (NYS) Graduate Work Experience Programme (GWEP) have given the initiative good reviews following a six-month pilot. The pilot, undertaken from February to August, exposed new tertiary-level graduates to the world of work, through placement in the NYS offices. The programme is designed to provide work experience for graduates aged 17 to 24 years and...

The National Youth Service (NYS) has rolled out its Graduate Work Experience Programme (GWEP), to address the long standing issue of increasing the employability of inexperienced graduates, who are seeking to enter the labour force. The GWEP, which was formally introduced by the NYS last week, is designed to provide work experience for graduates aged 17 to 24 years. These...

The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) is urging all operators of unregistered early childhood institutions (ECI) across the island, to become fully compliant with the agency. Acting Executive Director, ECC, Michelle Campbell, tells JIS News that it is important that all ECIs are registered with the Commission and have permits to operate in Jamaica. There are currently some 2,660 early childhood...

President of the Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA), Andrew Collins, is urging exporters to continue searching for more opportunities in new and existing markets. “We recognize that the best way to compete in an increasingly competitive international marketplace is by maintaining a competitive edge through innovation and diversification. So, we continue to encourage product and market diversification, especially in South America,...

The Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) is reporting growth of just under one per cent for the period July to September. Central Bank Governor, Brian Wynter, who made the disclosure during the BoJ’s quarterly media briefing held in the institution’s auditorium, downtown Kingston, on Tuesday (Nov. 19), attributed the second quarter growth to, among other things, the response of Jamaican businesses...

Acting Executive Director of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), Michelle Campbell, is calling on members of the public and private sectors to explore ways of increasing support to early childhood development in Jamaica. Speaking to JIS News in an interview recently, Mrs. Campbell says that while the Commission remains resolute in fulfilling its mandate to improve and develop the early...

Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says the Public Health (Tobacco Control) Regulations 2013, which had provisions for the imposition of a ban on smoking in specified public places, is the most far-reaching public health policy in decades. “I know that what I am doing is good for Jamaica. In the next couple of years, when you see less...