EDITORIAL - JEEP needs a training wheel

Experience has taught us that a general election is a great time for political parties to woo voters with promises. The promise of jobs appears to be a recurring theme: It worked for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in 2007, and the People's National Party's pledge to roll out jobs via the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) appears to have resonated with voters in 2011.

Tight fiscal circumstances and a world recession left the JLP government searching for ways to fund its election promises. It was largely unsuccessful. Now the PNP is eager to crank up the JEEP, so it can attempt to turn the frustration of thousands into hope, especially among low-skilled workers who are disproportionately affected by unemployment.

Politicians are well aware that their ability to convince voters that they understand the pain of unemployment, and that they have a plan to get them back to work, is critical in winning an election.

So even though the economic forecasts are that high unemployment will persist in both the developed and developing world for some time, and even though the details of JEEP were not clearly articulated prior to the election, thousands were dreaming of taking an economic ride on the JEEP.

We in Jamaica know of the detrimental side effects of long-term unemployment, especially among poor, uneducated youth. Entire communities descend into lawlessness, crime escalates, and criminal gangs foment a dangerous subculture in many deprived areas, especially in Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine and St James. Therefore, it is a desirable national goal to get as many people as possible into the workforce.

An emergency employment programme is just that. While clearing lots and cleaning gullies is important from an environmental and aesthetic point of view, this can only be a short-term measure. Most of the persons to be employed under JEEP are the semi-skilled and labourers. In an age of questionable returns from stimulus spending, this newspaper urges the Government to help chart a path to real job growth in this country.

For example, do we have the requisite skills to match the touted development in the technology sector? If the answer is no, there needs to be serious consideration of how to encourage trade apprenticeship to prepare the next generation of artisans and skilled personnel.

All the stimulus money in the world will fail to yield tangible results if all we do is to fill the pockets of a few unskilled workers. Perhaps some of that money would be better spent training them.

It is a fact that the faltering economy has forced many companies to cut back, but when these companies regain financial health, there should be a ready pool of skilled workers for them to employ.

Minister of Youth Lisa Hanna has her job cut out for her to lead the kind of initiative that would train skilled workers. She said agencies such as the National Youth Service and the HEART Trust/NTA are now looking at targeted industries to respond to their training needs. Job-readiness training has to be a priority of this administration, or we will simply be repeating the trend of Government funding emergency employment programmes with even greater regularity.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.