Soft job market, limited business opportunities worry schoolers
Published:Wednesday | March 29, 2017 | 12:00 AMJason Cross
As much as he might not have to worry about moving up Jamaica's social ladder, brilliant and outspoken Ardenne High School student Fabrizio Darby is very concerned about the low level of sustainable job opportunities that his peers will have to contend with upon leaving school.
He recently told a Gleaner Editors' Forum, at the company's North Street offices, that the Government must work very hard to create linkages between schools and companies in order to create job security for young people entering the work world.
"I am very wary about the opportunities that you might find in Jamaica, not for myself because I can safely say, I have opportunities that other people don't have, and not everyone will be able to have those opportunities.
"Really and truly, there is only room for the top (people), and the fact is that not everybody can be a doctor and not everybody can be a lawyer. There has to be more opportunities for people. I suggest the Government form more bonds with the educational system and the companies that can provide the jobs," he stressed.
His fellow Ardenne sixth-form student, Sarahlee Tucker, who is also the students' council president, believes that not enough is done from the government standpoint to ensure the facilitation of youthful entrepreneurial ideas.
"I am a strong believer in entrepreneurship, so I think the Government should encourage more entrepreneurial opportunities for the youth. A lot of us have innovative ideas, but putting them forward and having somebody really supporting our ideas is where the problem is," she said.
Bryan hopeful
Wolmer's sixth-former Oshnel Bryan fully agreed with Tucker's suggestion as he feels very little is being done to facilitate the ideas that spring from the brilliant young minds of Jamaica.
"I agree it's probably going to be hard to find a job coming out of high school. As Sarah said, we have allowed Jamaicans to feel as though they can create their jobs. (But) we have to create that environment (so) that they will have access to resources to build their businesses. I am hopeful because the economy is improving. I am hopeful because I see where we are getting better," Bryan said.