Ministry of Labour & Social Security

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Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Andrew Gallimore, listens attentively to Project Director for the Ministry's Special Youth Employment and Training (SYEAT) project, Diane Spence. Occasion was the launch of a partnership between the Institute for Workforce Education and Development (IWED) and SYEAT, recently at the Ministry in Kingston, under which IWED will train some 500 young people in customer service, house keeping, landscaping, among other areas.

With the impact of the financial crisis crunching down on world economies, and concerns about job losses increase, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), through its Special Youth Employment and Training (SYEAT) project, is preparing young people for opportunities that may arise during and in the aftermath of the crisis.

In so doing, SYEAT has partnered with Institute for Workforce Education and Development (IWED), which is a programme of Manpower and Maintenance Services (MMS) Limited, to provide for the training of some 500 young people in areas such as hospitality, construction and manufacturing.

Speaking at the launch of the partnership held recently at the Kingston offices of the Ministry, State Minister, Andrew Gallimore, said that the Government is confident that the training provided will positively impact the nation.

"We expect that IWED will strengthen the programmes of the Ministry and that it will provide first class training for frontline workers, who will work in restaurants, as janitors, landscapers in construction and manufacturing. We are confident that the Institute for Workforce Education and Development will impact the lives of many young people in a positive way," he stated.

According to Mr. Gallimore, the partnership between the Ministry and IWED, will help to equip young people from some of the lower income communities, to make significant contributions to the growth of their household, community and country.

"We are pleased to see that this Institute is accredited and will be able to offer certificates that are meaningful to the youngsters that come here", he said, while challenging the young people selected for training to make the best use of the opportunity. "When you get here, your future is guaranteed, if you do the work and if you are dedicated," he told them.

In the meantime, Executive Director of the National Youth Service (NYS), Rev. Adinhair Jones, congratulated MMS for its continued efforts to enhance the development of the Jamaican workforce.

He informed that the NYS has used IWED repeatedly for the training of participants and staff and "I want to commit again to our continuing use of the service as this is so important in putting the NYS in a better position to not only serve the young people in Jamaica, but also to serve as partner and stakeholder with so many entities."

Charmaine Scarlett of the National Housing Trust (NHT) expressed confidence that the training programme will be successful.

She said "at the NHT, we have been proud partners with Manpower (and Maintenance Services) in delivering not just training but also placement, to so many of our beneficiaries. At the NHT, we try to assist our beneficiaries especially those in low income to earn so that they can pay their mortgages," she informs.

In the meantime, Yanika Wright, one of the 500 young people, who will be trained over a six-week period, said she is enthusiastic and grateful to be part of the programme.

"Being a part of the IWED programme has been very interesting and beyond my expectation so far. I am being trained in customer service and I feel very good being here," she told JIS News.

She urged other youth to take charge of the opportunity being provided by the Government and the IWED.

"I would tell all the other young people to join the programme because it is a very good programme. It trains you for the world of work and afterwards, they place you in jobs," she pointed out.

The partnership between IWED and SYEAT is in keeping with the MLSS' efforts to train and place persons in jobs, to reduce the high level of unemployment between the 18-25 age group.

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