Youth Development and National Service Minister, the Honourable Foster Cummings delivered the keynote address at the presentation of the Interim Report on the establishment of a National Youth Employment Policy for Trinidad and Tobago, held at the HYATT Regency, Port of Spain on April 09, 2025. Minister Cummings shared that “the articulation of the National Youth Employment Policy forms a philosophical baseline for the Government and its commitment to assist youth. We need to collaborate and share ideas and feedback to meet the goals of the Policy, that is, solving major youth employment issues.” Cummings further iterated the significance of the MYDNS in the strategic development of Trinidad and Tobago and its alignment to the National Development Strategy 2030, but more specifically, to the National Youth Policy 2020-2025, which allows for the development of Programmes that prepare youth to become employable or entrepreneurs.
Director, Cipriani College of Labour Cooperative Studies (CCLCS), Dr. André Vincent Henry, gave a summary of topline survey findings showing the response of 863 young individuals from 28 communities throughout Trinidad and Tobago. The report revealed that in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, at seven percent, has the lowest employment rate. It showed that while 25 percent of respondents sought employment via newspaper advertisements, 43 percent aspired to be entrepreneurs. Only 25 percent agree that the value of past education and training is useful in attaining a new job or becoming entrepreneurs, and 64 percent got no advice or assistance from employment services.
Permanent Secretary – Ministry of Youth Development and National Service (MYDNS), Narine Charran, reminded the stakeholders that “engagement is essential in the approach to addressing the multi-faceted challenges surrounding the generation of decent work.” PS Charran added, “We reviewed the ILO’s approach to employment generation, looking at the International Labour Standards and Employment, Co-creating National Policy and Mapping the Ecosystem of Youth Employment frameworks. Today’s presentation is evident that we are now closer to mapping a demand-driven, anticipatory flexible, policy that is reflective of this ecosystem and cognisant of the needs of the youth.”
The MYDNS has collaborated with the CCLCS to develop a National Youth Employment Policy (NYEP) that provides a strategic framework for addressing youth unemployment, underemployment, and brain drain, while fostering inclusive economic growth and implementing strategies that align the evolving needs of the labour market with Trinidad and Tobago’s education and training systems.
During the presentation, the Honourable Foster Cummings demonstrated a whole of Government approach as he invited the Honourable Penelope Beckles, Minister of Planning and Development; the Honourable Marvin Gonzales, Minister of National Security; Dr. the Honourable Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister of Education; the Honourable Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, Minister of Sport and Community Development; and the Honourable Adrian Leonce, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, as part of a panel, to discuss youth issues of unemployment, tax incentives, mental health, transfer of skills to employment and entrepreneurship, and sectional involvement in the labour market.
The discussions highlighted the importance of collaboration among various sectors to create sustainable solutions for these pressing challenges. The panelists emphasized the need for innovative policies that support youth engagement and foster a sense of community responsibility and empowerment.
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 National Service across Trinidad and Tobago.
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