Youth Ministry to Establish Access Points to Assist Youth

As part of measures by the Government to address youth unemployment, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be establishing 13 access points for youth seeking training and career development services.

“These access points will provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for our young people, whether they want improved literacy or are looking for job placement or certification and training,” State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Floyd Green, told the House during his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate on May 8.

The initiative is a result of the merger of four of the country’s national training institutions under the Ministry – the HEART Trust/NTA, National Youth Service (NYS), Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL) and the Apprenticeship Board.

Mr. Green said the merger is facilitating a broad range of opportunities for the development of Jamaica’s human capital.

“Because of this merger, we are going after increased numbers. We have targeted a 14 per cent increase in enrolment in the HEART Trust/NTA over the course of this year,” the State Minister informed.

He added that the merged entity has facilitated an increase in placement of young persons in summer jobs for this year, exceeding the target of 8,000 to 14,377 young persons engaged in summer employment.

Also, adjustments have been made to the stipend of summer workers, moving from a weekly sum of $6,000 for secondary-school students to $8,500, and the stipend for tertiary students increasing from $8,500 to $10,600.