Vaz praises Diageo’s Learning for Life Programmes

KINGSTON — Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz, has praised Diageo/Red Stripe for transforming the lives of young Jamaicans through its 'Learning for Life' (DL4L) programmes.

"Red Stripe/ Diageo has partnered with both Government and private institutions to devise far-reaching and high-impact training programmes, which have offered a lifeline to hundreds of young persons," he said.

The Minister was addressing the graduation ceremony for persons trained under the programmes, at the Sports Max Complex, Thursday June 30, 2011.

Mr. Vaz said he was pleased to see Red Stripe’s “concrete, forceful and unequivocal commitment to corporate social responsibility”, and implored more entities to work with the Government in developing the country.

“Government cannot do it all, and no Government, with all the will in the world, can singularly meet all of the challenges that face a society. Governments and countries need enlightened corporate citizens, like Red Stripe, who embrace their role in nation building,” he said.

He also commended Red Stripe for the strides it has made in positively impacting the lives of at risk youths.

“It is nothing short of impressive that Learning for Life programmes have not only moved from touching 80 lives to reaching approximately 2,000 persons, but is also an increase that is in keeping with the urgency and the magnitude of the crisis which face our country’s youth,” he said.

He lamented that there are nearly 140,000 youths defined as unattached, meaning they are not in school, employed, or involved in an apprenticeship programme or voluntary organisation. He also pointed out that 70 per cent of them are classified as unemployable.

“It is in this context, where youth employment in inner-city communities is an estimated 38 per cent, more than three times the national level of 11 per cent, that Red Stripe has made its presence felt,” he said.

Citing other “sobering” statistics which, he said, indicated the importance of initiatives such as the Learning for Life programmes, Mr. Vaz pointed out that 75 per cent of all crimes committed in Jamaica are carried out by persons less than 30 years of age, and that annually, 38,000 young people leave secondary school with only two subjects or less.

“To highlight the crisis among our girls, we note that in the 10 to 18 age group, females were two and a half times more likely to contract the HIV infection, due to the fact that economic deprivation drives many to do things that are not right. Also, a higher percentage of our births are to teenage mothers,” he pointed out.

He said that, by equipping many young women to make a major contribution to strengthening the economic and social fabric, and by training our young men, Diageo was positively impacting the crime problem and offering alternatives to the youth.

A total of 627 persons graduated from the various training programmes offered under DL4L, namely, bartending, entrepreneurship and tourism. The graduates were equipped with transferable skills and National Vocational Qualification (NVQJ) certification for self employment and job placement.

Through its Learning for Life programmes, Diageo works with established educational and training organisations to provide training in tourism, retailing, the arts, hospitality, entrepreneurship and teaching.

The programmes aim to increase students’ opportunities to find employment and become active contributors to their communities.

Diageo, formerly Guinness Brewing Worldwide, has been the majority shareholder in Red Stripe, formerly Desnoes and Geddes, since 1993.

By ALECIA SMITH, JIS Reporter