On Friday, September 06, 2024, the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service signed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies to establish a National Youth Employment Policy for Trinidad and Tobago.
The National Youth Employment Policy aims to establish, among other things, fundamental strategies for increasing the alignment between the labour market’s evolving needs and Trinidad and Tobago’s education and training system output, as well as alleviating the loss of human capital and brain drain. It also seeks to recognize young people as active change agents and co-creators of our country’s sustainable future.
Minister of Youth Development and National Service, the Honourable Foster Cummings, emphasized during his address that “The future of Trinidad and Tobago depends on what we do today, concerning the investment of our young people, that will shape the future. Therefore, the issue of youth unemployment is something we take seriously; and so we know the need to put policies in place to inform the approach in addressing this matter.”
Signatory to the SLA on behalf of the Ministry, Permanent Secretary Narine Charran noted that “The MYDNS is committed to enhancing the participation of young people in the labour market; reducing the job-experience gap by offering work-based learning; and creating youth entrepreneurship opportunities.”
Director of the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-Operative Studies (C.C.L.C.S), Dr. André Vincent Henry, also a signatory to the Agreement, acknowledged the importance of the outcome, “To deliver a workforce environment that is productive for the young men and women of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The Ministry of Youth Development and National Service remains committed to bringing all stakeholders together to promote youth development and encourages civic-minded citizens to contribute to the National Service of Trinidad and Tobago
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