Jamaica leads Caribbean with Passport to Success master trainers

The International Youth Foundation (IYF) in conjunction with New Employment Opportunities for Youth (NEO) Jamaica, hosted a three-day Passport to Success (PTS) master-trainer workshop for professionals from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the MultiCare Youth Foundation at the Medallion Hotel from September 12-14, 2018.

The four trainees then went on to conduct their first 'Train the Trainers' sessions the following week, September 18-24.

On completion of their training, the four women - Abbigayle Grant and Dahlia Green of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and Sharlene Brooks and Tameka Thorpe of the MultiCare Youth Foundation - will be certified to conduct training in PTS.

Diego Mendez, facilitator, highlighted the positive impact the master trainers will have on the longevity of the NEO Jamaica project and the PTS training at its core.

Pioneers

He said, "Abbigayle, Dahlia, Tameka and Sharlene are the first English-speaking master trainers in the region. It means that once there is an interest in the PTS training and the correct licences are in place, they can conduct training of trainers across the Caribbean."

Alicia Glasgow Gentles, executive director of the MultiCare Youth Foundation, the executing agency of NEO Jamaica, said, "PTS training has been adapted to build young people's skills in a variety of formats and settings, and the training of these professionals contributes to the longevity of the programme.

Through the MultiCare Foundation, interested persons locally and regionally can purchase the licence for PTS and have their staff trained in the curriculum. The more impact we have to empower youth, the better," she said.

Before certification, trainers receive 30 hours of in-depth life-skills training, including hands-on instruction on the implementation of experiential teaching methodologies. To ensure mastery of the material and training techniques, trainers receive ongoing support through an IYF-certified coach over a two-to three-month period as they deliver the lessons in the classroom.

Leaders in education, business, and government agree that soft-skills training is one of the missing links contributing to today's talent gap. However, such programming is often scattered, insufficient or non-existent, leaving too many young people unprepared to get and keep a job. The master- trainer workshop is a critical tool to ensure a robust programming of soft-skills training.

PTS equips young people ages 15 to 29 with the skills that help keep them in school and are in high demand by employers. At the core of the programme is an 80-module curriculum developed and refined by IYF over the past decade. Today, PTS has been adapted and delivered in 30 countries and is available in 19 languages.

Through the course, PTS trainees gain skills in 10 key areas that experts agree are critical to effective life skills programming, including self-confidence, conflict management, anger management, career planning, responsibility, job preparation, respect, workplace readiness, cooperation, teamwork and project planning.

NEO Jamaica's mandate is to provide life-skills training for persons through engaginging agencies across the island, who will then teach the PTS soft skills to unattached youth.