Young Jamaicans Awarded Creative Industry Internships

Ten young persons were awarded paid internships at the first Jamaica Creative Expo, held on February 10.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, presented the individuals with certificates at the one-day Creative Expo, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston.

It was attended by scores of tertiary and high-school students who are interested in pursuing studies in the areas of Culture and Creative Industries (CCI).

Students were also able to participate in the event via Facebook pages of the Ministry, the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).

The event, organised by the Creative Division of the Ministry of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport, is in keeping with its mandate to facilitate and improve the engagement and development of CCI stakeholders and public-private partnerships.

Speaking at the function, Minister Grange said that more students will be offered internships.

“So, although we will be doing 10 today… there will be 60 more, because we are not going to stop until we get a corporate entity or a professional to take one of you and guide you through this creative process,” she said.

The Minister lauded the organisations that are involved in the programme and noted that six companies have shown interest in receiving interns.

“They have indicated that they want us to assign interns to them. Some of them are very specific as to the kinds of interns that they are looking for,” she said.

The Minister pointed out that the recipients were selected based on their resumes.

“Some entities were very specific as to the type of students and skills they are looking for,” she added.

The Minister informed that the Expo will be an annual event and will provide the opportunity for students to gain wider knowledge of the creative sector and have access to key creative entrepreneurs and professionals in Jamaica.

Other speakers at the event were State Minister in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, as well as professionals in cultural agencies and the creative industry.