EDITORIAL - Addressing youth unemployment

It is great to hear that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth has partnered with the UK- based charity, Prince’s Trust International, to address the issue of unemployment among young people and to give more Barbadian youth an opportunity to gain critical job skills and work experience.

 

Targeted at individuals age 16 to 25, the “Get Into” programme will see two pilots launched here, which will aid youth in gaining work experience in the fields of hospitality and logistics. Given that the logistics sector is poised for rapid growth, this is a key niche area that we can build on and it is great that a number of youth can now gain some hands-on experience in this valuable, money-making sector. 

 

Of course, the hospitality industry in Barbados is one that we hold dear to our hearts, as it has proven to be a big income earner, and those involved can truly spread their wings and do great things. Given its linkages with tourism, the possibilities in this sector are endless.

 

As stated earlier, the issue of youth unemployment will therefore be tackled via the “Get Into” initiative, and it is one we will be following closely. What is interesting here is that this project is not only concerned with ensuring youth have the necessary qualifications and certification to fit into a job, but the programme provides youth with opportunities to gain valuable work experience as well. This is vital in addressing unemployment, since many youth often leave school with just book knowledge and it is at times hard for them to find a job that appeals to them without having the requisite work experience. 

 

According to research, there are a number of benefits for youth who participate in work experience programmes. These benefits include increasing one’s knowledge of specific occupational skills and workplace settings, gaining career readiness skills including the “soft skills” that employers look for in entry level workers, establishing a work history and connections with employers that can aid in future job searches, and also developing an understanding of different occupations in order to make informed career choices.

 

According to the proponents of the “Get Into” programme, it gives youth a chance to gain work experience and receive training in a specific sector. It also focuses on their employability skills to help them move into a job after the course. With programmes running in a number of sectors – for now, it’s logistics and hospitality for Barbados – youth will spend time training on the job and gain work experience in their chosen sector. In order to give them the best chance of getting a job after the programme is finished, “Get Into” runs courses in sectors where they know job are most likely to be available and this is key in reducing youth unemployment.

 

So we welcome with open arms Prince’s Trust International, which is building on its success in the UK and looking to widen its reach by touching the Caribbean. Having built effective programmes and strong partnerships to help young people into jobs and self-employment in the United Kingdom, we hope that we can have a similar success story here.

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