Georgetown: The Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport has partnered with several government and private agencies to host its first ever youth employment drive slated to be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on April 12.
During a press conference, Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton related that the initiative will provide opportunities to the nation’s future leaders to develop themselves and make meaningful contributions to their communities and country as a whole.
“Statistics show that approximately 40 per cent of the youth population in Guyana are unemployed. The Department of Youth recognises this and is seeking to bring the private sector and government agencies together to tackle this growing issue.”
The minister noted that the department would continue to create opportunities in various forms to address this issue.
Currently, the department has received over 699 applications and counting from persons across Regions 3, 4, 5 and 6. An estimated 174 applicants are young men while the remainder is young women. Project Officer, Jermaine Watson said about 10 per cent of the applicants have a technical background.
Director of Youth, Melissa Carmichael-Haynes explained that this forum allows for information sharing and for those interested, the opportunity to speak directly with the various human resources department.
“We have had our ears on the ground, so we are seeking in our capacity to bring about some resolution to this issue hence the job fair. While it is not biggest, with companies on board it will certainly make a great impact.” She added that there will also be on-the-spot interviews conducted at the employment drive.
The Youth Director noted that the department’s goal would undoubtedly be achieved as those firms who have partnered to host the job fair have indicated the need to fill positions within their respective agencies. Among these organisations are Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT), Courts Incorporated Guyana, Giftland Mall and Qualfon among others.
Coming out of this exercise, the department will also be partnering with the Manpower Unit to visit schools to implement their ‘work ready’ training programme within the school system to bridge the gap to allow young people to successfully enter the work environment. This initiative caters for students from Form 3, 4 and 5.
“This will provide the opportunity for them to think about the place where they would like to create career and gives them enough information and training so once they leave their respective secondary institutions, they will understand what is the next step for them whether to a tertiary institution or the workforce,” Carmichael-Haynes said.
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