How 10000 Jamaicans to be employed under DBJ and YUTE IDB sponsored NEO as General Election Nears

For those of you thinking there are no jobs in Jamaica, think again!!

The NEO (New Opportunities for Youth) program a joint venture of the DBJ (Development Bank of Jamaica) and YUTE (Youth Upliftment Through Employment), aims to make some 10,000 Jamaican school-leavers employable as reported in the article “NEO targets employment for 10,000 youths”, published Sunday, November 22, 2015 by Avia Collinder, The Jamaica Observer.

The US$9.3 million project, which is funded by a US$1.2 million technical assistance grant from the IDB's (Inter Developement Bank) Multilateral Investment Fund or IDB MIF, will have some 100 companies in the following sectors employing the school leavers:

1.      Construction

2.      Logistics

3.      Tourism

The IDB MIF had been recently approved the NEO as a job skills initiative structured as follows:

1.      Arcos Dorados

2.      Caterpillar Foundation

3.      CEMEX

4.      Foundation Forge

5.      IDB's Labor Markets Unit

6.      IYF (International Youth Foundation)

7.      Microsoft

8.      MIF

9.      SESI

10.  Walmart

The NEO Jamaica partnership, with the Jamaican chapter being run by YUTE, includes the following Private and Public Sector partners:

1.      BPIAJ (Business Process Industry Association)

2.      CEMEX

3.      HEART

4.      HTA (Hotel and Tourism Association of Jamaica)

5.      Ministry of Labour and Social Security

6.      Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining

7.      Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture

8.      NYS (National Youth Service)

9.      PIOJ (Planning Institute of Jamaica)

10.  PSOJ (The Private Sector Organization of Jamaica)

11.  Red Stripe

12.  The University of West Indies

So are these sectors really in need of skilled labour?

10000 Jamaicans to be employed under DBJ and YUTE IDB sponsored NEO as General Election Nears 

These areas identified of the Jamaican economy have a need for specialized skilled labour which is lacking in Jamaica as they’re set for growth, based on the latest news on investment in the Media!

The tourists industry, is in need of a lot of trained staff in the next ten (10) years to provide the 8000 employees that Karisma Hotels and Resorts, a Mexican Resort chain investing some US$900 million in a 4000 room hotel will need as noted in the article “Mexican Hotel Chain Announces US$900 Million Investment”, published October 14, 2015 By Alecia Smith-Edward, The Jamaica Information Service. 

Dolphin cove has also changed hands into Mexican ownership for a reported US$3.7 billion, so we may be looking at an expansion involving the employment of more Jamaicans as noted in the article “Dolphin Cove To Retain Identity Under New Mexican Owner”, published Friday November 20, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Logistics and construction will also need a lot of persons, especially to staff the Spanish Town Free zone, where Gulfray Americas and CNAICO (China National Automotive Industry International Corporation) plan to set up a US$350 million dollar Automobile assembly line as reported in my blog article entitled “Gulfray Americas and CNAICO Auto Manufacturing plant - Why Spanish Town Free Zone will benefit Jamaica”.  

Then in constructions, a lot of hotels are being build, such as the Karisma Hotels and Resorts as well as the US$200 Ocean by H10 Hotels being built in Trelawny as reported in the article “Spanish chain spearheads US$200m hotel construction in Trelawny”, published Tuesday, November 17, 2015 by Javene skyers, The Jamaica Observer. 

Jamaica is to get 14% equity in the 800 rooms hotel develomement, which may have include providing the necessary labour to build the hotels as reported in the article “Jamaicans Offered 14% In New Spanish Hotel Development”, published Wednesday November 18, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.

By targeting the unemployed school leavers in the age range 17-29 years old, with about 50% of them being females, NEO aims to turn some 1 million graduates in Latin America and the Caribbean into a trained and employable workforce.

The funding will be used to do the following:

1.      Strengthen 11 training and employment centres

2.      Train 90 professionals to provide Special Job training services

This will be done via teaching methods tailored to young people to help strengthened their life and coping skills while providing job placement services within these 100 companies. In turn, these companies will provide the following:

1.      Internship

2.      Job placement opportunities

3.      Training

Hopefully the NEO will live up to its promise and not become another JEEP Initiative being announced to win the General Elections, for which the date has yet to be called as noted in the article “Awaiting The 17th General Election”, published Sunday November 15, 2015 by Martin Henry, The Jamaica Gleaner.

After all, the secret to winning the General Election is still South Coast Developement such as the Milk River Bath and Spa as document in my blog article entitled “200 Acre Milk River Hotel & Spa Developement - How Future Plans for Milk River Residents means South Coast Developement coming”.

 

If the NEO comes to pass, these sectors will help to stem unemployment in Jamaica as well as the acute Brain Drain as many leave to go abroad to seek gainful employment!