Shane Gibson
By LAMECH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
LABOUR Minister Shane Gibson said the government’s new $20m employment plan will help identify and train thousands of young people for the job market.
He said the Ministry of Labour with the Inter-American Development Bank would assist with this process.
His comments came as he highlighted the work of the government and the private sector to drive down unemployment figures.
Mr Gibson spoke during a national address on Sir Randol Fawkes Labour Day when he also acknowledged “there is still work to be done to address the high level of unemployment in our country”.
Prime Minister Perry Christie, during his recent 2015/2016 Budget Communication, said that his administration has budgeted $20m during the next fiscal year to address youth unemployment. At the time he said this would, in part, encompass special employment projects in conjunction with Urban Renewal.
Mr Gibson said his ministry also will be instrumental in this $20m plan.
“While we as a government are pleased with the partnership approach and industrial relations goodwill we enjoy in the Bahamas, as minister of labour, I know there is still work to be done to address the high level of unemployment in our country, particularly unemployment among our youth,” said Mr Gibson.
“An analytical review of the labour force in our hemisphere confirms that the issue of high unemployment among the youth is not unique to the Bahamas. However, we as a society must devise new and more effective ways and means to address unemployment.”
“Our government continues its efforts to fulfil a bold and creative agenda to tackle the problems associated the high levels of unemployment in order to build a stronger and more prosperous Bahamas.”
“Firstly, during the prime minister’s recent budget communication to Parliament, it was announced that the government has set aside a substantial sum of money to address the issue of unemployment among the youth. These funds will be earmarked for two special programmes that will be undertaken by the Ministry of Labour and the Inter-American Development Bank for the purposes of identifying and training thousands of young people to be better prepared for the job market, and the jobs that are expected to become available in the near future.”
“Secondly, the Employment Exchange in the Department of Labour will be upgraded and modernised to meet the technological demands of the general public, and in particular, our youth.”
“Thirdly, as a result of the significant levels of increased foreign direct investment, new jobs in the construction industry, the hotel and tourism sector, the agriculture and marine sector, and the manufacturing and light industry will become available this year and will reduce the level of unemployment in the country.”
“Finally, the success and expansion of the programmes offered by the National Training Agency will have a direct impact on unemployment and (in) my ministry plans are underway to ensure that those programmes are extended to our Family Islands – Abaco, Andros, San Salvador, and Long Island.”
According to the latest figures from the Department of Statistics, national unemployment is 15.7 per cent while youth employment is nearly double that number at 31 per cent.
Loretta Butler-Turner, Long Island MP and shadow minister of labour and social development, recently criticised the government for failing to deliver on its campaign promises to improve the labour climate in the country.
She said rather than bring “hope and relief”, the government has “made matters even worse.”
“During the last election, the PLP promised 10,000 jobs in its first year of office,” she said in a press statement.
“It has failed dramatically to deliver on this promise. At this third anniversary of its election, many Bahamians still cannot find jobs and unemployment has risen on the government’s watch.”
Comments
cmiller 9 years, 6 months ago
Train young people for jobs that he hopes will happen where?????
Tarzan 9 years, 6 months ago
Nothing but a slush fund for the political elite to plunder.
duppyVAT 9 years, 6 months ago
What happened to the National Training Agency??????? What happened to Fresh Start & Jump Start????? What happened to BTVI??????
Why reinvent the wheel............. just for votes and kickbacks???????????
realfreethinker 9 years, 6 months ago
My sentiments duppyvat. We are just duplicating programs,but still aint getting anywhere. Another slush fund to give the impression that these clowns are doing something
digimagination 9 years, 6 months ago
".... will help identify and train thousands of young people for the job market." Will there be thousands of jobs waiting for these thousands of future 'trained' youths? Keep dreaming!
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 6 months ago
The same youth Shameless Shane talks about training now for $20 million of the taxpayers funds are the same youth that his government gave a D- education to and who are essentially non-trainable for doing anything much other than joining the ranks of the many criminals among us today.
GrassRoot 9 years, 6 months ago
if students could read and write and do math, all they need is a computer to learn more. this education must happen between age 9 and 16. the basics have to be here and then the private sector will be willing to hire these kids. the 20 Mio are better used to make micro loans to small businesses.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 6 months ago
The most interesting part of the statement was "my ministry will be instrumental in this 20m". Put your finger to the toilet lever and get ready to flush this and the 14m assigned to BAMSI down the drain.
The energy around Shane Gibson is very disturbing to me. There are any number of accounts about his shocking general conduct during Perry Christie's first term. The Rolex watch, the alleged "5000 per", pay to play. Being forced to resign. Professing boldly that if the PM ran in 2012, he could run as well (exactly what did that mean? Was he equating his conduct to that of the PM's?? Does he have something to tell the Bahamian public?, and in the wake of that bold statement, he is appointed to the greatest money chest in the country!!!??? It is simply unbelievable. A man who came to the house in dire financial straits, some say bankrupt, allegedly now owns a subdivision. How does that happen on a ministers salary, with a cabinet minister and MP's full time job, with no skills and no brain power visible to anybody.
In case you missed it, take note of his twisted assurance that money will go accounted under this programme. He said basically, money disappeared under the FNM's 52 week programme, we will fine tune the system so this doesn't happen again, BUT, it will be VERY difficult without automation". When half of this goes missing, wait to hear that "automation" was to blame, not corrupt government officials in HIGH PLACES
Chucky 9 years, 6 months ago
I wonder what they will do to "identify & train"; are we talking about getting new employee identification bracelets? Will the training be a supplement to the outstanding educations system we already have? I'm really hopeful that the new "identification" program will finally tackle one of our greatest problems- having a way to identify each employee, in the past we've had to take the employees word for it, and call them by name.
johnq 9 years, 6 months ago
Here we go again! This 20 mil is probably in response to what BAHA Mar CEO Sarkis Izmirlian had requested---that investments be made to improve the performance of young Bahamians. The government will point to this and say "see what we do?!" Of course anyone of intelligence knows that this money will not even scratch the surface of this country's structural problem of having a poor educational system that produces D- students. So basically this money is just being thrown away and will change nothing.
Chucky 9 years, 6 months ago
Helping to train people is like giving them things! If anyone really wanted to learn, they'd find a way. Library is open to everyone! As in any other country these training initiatives are a joke, people who otherwise had no interest in training sign up, scam what they can, take jobs they have no passion for and nobody wins.
All people can't get ahead, all people will never be successful, some people need to be poor, its the way it works! Stop giving away money towards people who haven't earned it, the people with drive will succeed on their own. And those without, let them live the life they create!
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