YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT and education came under sharp focus in the Lower Houseof Parliament today at the 10th sitting of the regional youth parliamentarians.
Youth Prime Minister Roshanna Trim said programmes were failing and it was time to take the focus off traditional career paths and start teaching entrepreneurship in schools.
“We must teach youth they do not need to work for somebody; they can work for themselves,” she said.
Trim, who was spearheading the passing of a resolution for Government to provide job creation incentives where the private sector did not, called for special grants for youth interested in niche markets; a commitment to regional integration and free movement and incentives for businesses which employ youth.
“This is the day where insularity and prejudices must end . . . without regional integration, we will lose our youth and a country without youth is doomed,” she said.
In rebuttal, Opposition Leader Krystal Hoyte said, while they supported the resolution in spirit, there were some inconsistencies, such as not outlining whether the youth would be trained adequately for the jobs and the age group identified – 15 to 24 – which she said did not accurately represent those seeking jobs, instead suggesting 18 – 34.
“The resolution is innovative but needs tweaking,” she said. (CA)
