Another 100 students to gain valuable experience through JPS summer programme
Published:Thursday | June 22, 2017 | 12:00 AMPaul Clarke
The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Summer Employment Programme continues to show its value in helping to prepare young adults for the world of work, with nearly 100 high school and tertiary level students selected this year.
Young people from various parishes were treated to the company's uptempo orientation yesterday, signaling for most of them, initiation into the more serious aspect of fending for oneself.
"We are trying to make sure that people learn more about JPS, so apart from giving young people the opportunity to work somewhere and have them earning, it's also an opportunity for us to show them what we are made of," cited Tania McDonald-Tomlinson, head of department Recruitment and Employee Services.
In keeping with this concept, the company has over the years facilitated an annual Summer Employment Programme, which is now in its 20th year. This year, JPS will be engaging a total of 95 students in the programme, which commences on Monday, June 26 and ends on August 4.
The students will be employed at a number of JPS locations and at partner locations such as the National Works Agency, the Spring Village Development Foundation, the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill (CUMI), Kingston and St. Andrew Health Services and the Bustamante Hospital for Children.
"We find that young people are hungry for opportunities and this programme allows for them to have that option to gain valuable experience in the world of work," said Tomlinson.
"This programme has been a worthwhile endeavour and we are proud that it has also served to offer some enlightenment to our people, who we are depending on to become employees, not only here at JPS but also in other areas," she stated.
In addition, she said that the JPS, over the years, has recognised the need for students to gain work experience and earning opportunities that help them meet their financial obligations.