Thread by @MarkJGolding

Jamaica has huge gaps in vocational training. 60% of the labour force does not have any form of certification. #BudgetDebate2022

This means that the majority of our workforce is not qualified for anything other than poorly-paid jobs in sectors that keep labour costs low in order to compete internationally.
#BudgetDebate2022

Clearly, the country’s vocational training institutions have been under-performing, and need substantial transformation and expansion. #BudgetDebate2022

Under the next PNP Government, there will be a well-funded national programme to provide opportunities for vulnerable youths. We must give them a better chance to become productive citizens.
#BudgetDebate2022

The needs of our economy are rapidly changing. Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, and new buzzwords like Web3, Decentralized Finance, Non-Fungible Tokens and the Metaverse, will continue to disrupt and supersede existing industries. #BudgetDebate2022

Billions of dollars of capital are being poured into the development of commercial opportunities, leveraging these emerging technologies.
#BudgetDebate2022

We must overhaul our training institutions like HEART NTA to meet these challenges. These institutions have gone off the rails, and need to become accountable for their performance. #BudgetDebate2022

Jamaica must have a training capacity that delivers a modern and productive workforce, capable of driving national competitiveness and attractive high levels of investment in value-added goods and services.
#BudgetDebate2022

The truth is, the society and system in Jamaica have failed hundreds of thousands of vulnerable youths. We cannot continue to ignore them and expect the security forces to suppress the resulting violence and chaos.
#BudgetDebate2022

As Jimmy Cliff sang, we must “treat the youths right, or you’ll be playing with dynamite”.
#BudgetDebate2022

Too many of our youths leave school and end up on the corner with nothing constructive to do. Too many soon yield to the temptation of seeking a way out through badness and the gun. That is the dynamite of which Jimmy Cliff sang.
#BudgetDebate2022

I have said it before, and I say it again. We need to fill the gaps left by teenage pregnancy, inadequate parenting skills, the culture of violence and the reality of persistent poverty.
#BudgetDebate2022

There is no way to build the Jamaican Dream unless we tackle these issues with a bold and comprehensive national policy. We must provide opportunities for vulnerable youths to get another chance to become productive citizens.
#BudgetDebate2022

We must provide them with access to training, mentorship, remedial education and job placements. We must reinforce their life skills, build their self-esteem and give them sense of citizenship and belonging to our society. The efforts that have been made do not go far enough.

Jamaica must engage and reset the lives of unattached youths, lead them away from gangs and guns, and put them on a path to productivity and success. We cannot move forward as a country unless we give these youths a chance in life.
#BudgetDebate2022