Scores of young people in the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region were on Wednesday educated on how to make themselves more marketable through a “Preparedness for world of work” one-day workshop hosted by the Ministry of Labour’s Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency.
The workshop was held in the boardroom of the Ministry of Labour, Anna Regina Branch, and geared at ensuring that the participants grasped the necessary skills to get them hired.
Speaking to the job seekers, Region Two Chairwoman Vilma De Silva encouraged the youths to develop their skills and to ensure that they further their studies. De Silva assured that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is committed to working in partnership with youths in the region.
“My office is always open, we are ready to work with you and to help you in the process of developing your skills by providing the basic resources to further empower you and to ensure that you remain competitive in the world of work.”
Chief Recruitment and Manpower Officer of the Ministry of Labour, Yolanda Grant, said that the workshop’s focus was on preparing young people for the world of work irrespective of the sector. She added that the Ministry is focusing on educating young people in every region and that the workshop is the first of its kind.
Similar workshops will be extended to youths in secondary schools.
“Our mandate is to ensure that persons seeking employment are suitably placed but in doing so we have to help our job seekers because based on the feedback we received from employers, most of the job seekers are unsuccessful at the interview and this is where we help” Grant emphasized.
The labour ministry official disclosed that one of government’s plans involves focusing on employment with the establishment of a “Job bank”. She used the opportunity to enlighten the participants on the functions of the “Job bank” and how job seekers and employers can communicate and also the role the ministry plays in creating a network.
During the one-day workshop, participants were taught how to prepare a resumé and empowered on the use of interview techniques.
The other topics touched on included, work ethic, roles of the Board of Industrial Training, labour laws, and occupational safety and health.
One of the participants, Parveena Ramcharran, said that the workshop was very educational and she learnt many things that she did not know. She thanked the Ministry for Labour for organising such workshop in the region.
