The Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA), in its goal to help disadvantaged youth become more marketable and gain access to employment, will be lobbying for financial support for students of the Sophia Night School who wish to sit the CSEC exams.
A release from the Ministry of Social Protection related that the CRMA, which falls under the Protection Ministry, has collaborated with the Sophia Night School to assist persons in writing and rewriting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.
The initiative was deemed necessary as it was observed that most workplaces, including government agencies, require CSEC passes for employment, Chief Recruitment and Manpower Officer Valarie Moore explained.
The release said that while Moore noted that tutoring at the School is free, students are required to pay to sit the subjects.
“We are trying to see if we can ask the ministry to help those who are doing well at the school but really can’t afford to pay for their subjects. So the plan is at least try to pay for two or three of their subjects to ease their burden. That is going to be our next move, once we have evaluated the situation and once that is needed we will approach the ministry in that regard,” Moore stated.
On the employment front, it was noted that during the first quarter of this year, the Agency successfully trained and prepared 66 persons for job interviews through its World of Work Programme, which was initiated to better prepare candidates, based on feedback the ministry had received.
“We send them [employers] referral slips for them to let us know who are unsuccessful and why. The feedback we get is that their attitudes towards the interview is off, their punctuality is poor etc. So we took the initiative to get all the registrants from each region, bring them here and carry out a work readiness programme where they learn about work ethics, resumé writing, format of some interview questions and how to respond to those questions,” Moore explained.
During the first quarter, the programme was executed in Regions Three, Four and Five. The release said it will next be rolled out in Regions Two, Ten and Six. Moore said persons who have participated in the programme are usually successful in their interviews.
The release noted that the Agency collects and provides information to employers who wish to recruit persons seeking employment. However, over the years, its means of employment has shifted from the ministry’s human resources department to contracts, then to the Public Service Commission (PSC), the release said. This has reportedly slowed down employment rates and consequently, the department’s performance, as they are not always aware of whether persons they have referred have successfully gained employment.
