25,200 youth summer jobs
HEART Trust/NTA says it will be employing 25,200 young people this year under its Youth Summer Employment Programme.
This is a significant increase over the approximately 6,000 people who were employed in 2016.Senior director for the HEART Trust/NTA’s Community Services, Youth Services Division Rayharna Wright explained that as a result of the merger of the National Youth Service (NYS) with the agency on April 1, 2017 the budget for the programme was increased to accommodate a larger number of young people.Wright, who was speaking in an interview with
JIS News, however, did not say how much money has been allocated for the youth employment programme, which is an intervention targeting youth attending secondary and tertiary institutions who need some meaningful work experience. Graduates, who are unemployed, may also apply.The programme is open to young people aged 17 to 29 and people from the community of persons with disabilities between the ages of 17 and 34.Applicants are asked to submit a completed application form along with a passport-sized photograph; résumé; Tax Registration Number (TRN); valid national identification; valid school identification; birth certificate; and proof of qualifications, if there are any.“No longer are persons required to have a minimum of three Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects to participate in the programme. It is now open to all young persons who are eligible to apply to the programme,” Wright said.She explained that more than 80 per cent of applicants are placed within the public sector. However, there has been an increase in private-sector participation.“We have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, and a lot of their members have come on board, along with other entities that are outside of the PSOJ,” Wright said.She added: “It is important for more private sector entities to participate, as it is not just employing these persons for three weeks, but it is a national contribution to these young people who some of these organisations will be employing in the future.”She pointed out that the programme has been extended to have the young people in engaged in community summer schools or camps.The deadline for application for the programme has been extended to Friday, May 26.The initiative will be undertaken in three phases, over three weeks, starting June 5; July 3; and August 8.For more information and application forms interested individuals are asked to call or visit the HEART Trust/NTA head and regional offices or log on to
www.nysjamaica.org.