Students Being Equipped to become Productive Citizens

Some 250 students from several secondary and tertiary institutions across the island have benefitted from 14 sensitisation sessions as the Government continues to promote a culture of productivity among the youth.

The sessions were held under phase two of the Jamaica Productivity Centre's (JPC) 'Be Productive Campaign,' which got underway in March.

Some of the participating schools include: Seaforth High in St. Thomas; Porus High in Manchester; McGrath High in St. Catherine; Godfrey Stewart High in Westmoreland; and Green Pond High in St. James.

The campaign, which got underway in 2009, is geared towards engaging and equipping students to become productive ambassadors for the world of work.

"We want to capture the minds of our fifth, sixth, and tertiary students especially, because youth at this stage are preparing for the world of work. So the message of productivity is mainly geared towards this particular target audience," says Senior Communications Specialist at the JPC, Tenneisha Hibbert Nelson.

She tells JIS News that the sensitisation sessions provide a platform for participants to acquire knowledge about the benefits of being productive citizens, the factors that drive productivity and how they can become more productivity focused.

The students are being exposed to concepts such as measurement, team work, communication and planning, which will not only influence their personal and professional development, but prepare them to become innovative and dynamic workers for the future.

"We are trying to target as many schools as possible, because if we can influence students to be productive today, then we are definitely improving the work attitude of the future workforce of tomorrow," Mrs. Hibbert Nelson points out.

She informs that for each session, an evaluation is carried out, to determine if the objectives have been met and based on the responses so far, it is clear that the sessions are being well received by the participants. and they are positively impacted by the messages.

She points out that the students are particularly excited about the interactive component of the session, which involves a production line. 

"This element of the campaign commits the students to be productive, to a large extent. They participate in mock productions, where they are basically given the production line to run, to see how best they execute themselves. This of course involves in-depth planning," she explains.

She further mentions that throughout the sensitisation sessions, the participants are educated about the socio-economic benefits of sustained productivity improvement, at the individual, firm, industry, and national levels.

In addition, issues associated with workplace productivity are also examined, to fully prepare the students for the workforce.

Kingston Technical High School teacher, Delroy Farr, lauds the work of the JPC. He informs that the sensitisation session in which the school participated was interesting, and educational. "The students especially, were captivated by the presentations, and the group activity, and it is clear that they have learnt a lot, based on their reactions," he says.

He further states that the issue of productivity is very important for the sake of Jamaica’s future, and as a nation, everyone should be involved.

The four-year ‘Be Productive Campaign’ is being funded primarily by the Government of Jamaica, along with corporate sponsors, to a tune of $3.5 million.