Mobile career coaches to aid youths on the corner

The pending merger of the HEART Trust/NTA with the National Youth Service, Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning, and the Apprenticeship Board will position the new entity to effectively reach a wider range of youngsters who might otherwise be excluded from its diverse offerings of training and certification programmes, interim managing director Dr Janet Dyer, said yesterday.

In addition to a rationalisation of the programme structure, the new entity will achieve much greater outreach and impact by taking its offerings on the road, Dyer said as she addressed a National Careers' Week and Skills Competition press briefing held at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.

ON THE ROAD PROGRAMMES

"We have several initiatives that are geared at targeting many of the youths who are still on the corner with nothing to do. We are taking our programmes on the road to communities across the country through our mobile career coaches," Dyer said.

"These coaches are equipped to deliver the full suite of services provided by the HEART Trust, which includes on-the-spot counselling on career services, recruitment, application pro-cessing, employment services, and entrepreneurship planning and ventures."

Meanwhile, this year's National Careers Week, which runs from Sunday, February 17 to Friday, February 23, under the theme 'Building the Future by Guiding the Present' is expected to provide an opportunity for partnering with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, WordSkills Jamaica, Junior Achievement Jamaica, and the Career Advancement Programme on several career-development initiatives and skills-related activities.

christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com

Activities throughout National Careers Week will focus on:

- Celebrating excellence in skills by demonstrating how important skills, education, and training are for youths by challenging young people to become the best in the skill of their choice and exposing them to new and emerging skill areas.

- Raising awareness among youths, as well as their parents and guardians, teachers, and employers, that Jamaica's future is dependent on ensuring that training is aligned to labour market demands.

- Creating a platform where educators, policymakers, industry and other organisations redefine the value and improve the attractiveness of skills.