Trinidad to create 20,000 jobs

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government says it intends to create 20,000 new jobs mainly within low income and underprivileged communities, as it seeks to continue the battle against criminal elements in the country.



Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, who on Monday announced that her administration had lifted the five hour curfew that had been in place as part of the State of Emergency (SOE) since August 21, told Parliament that a job to a person in that type of community had the effect of bringing meaning to life, a sense of purpose, dignity and the opportunity to participate in all the country offers.



“We intend to increase our existing capacity in several social intervention programmes to 20,000 jobs at an estimated cost of a further TT$300,000,000 (US$50 million) by immediately ramping up employment in several existing programmes.



The Prime Minister said that the Community Enhancement Programme (CEPEP), started by the previous administration, “will ramp up its capacity to engage members of the community and neighbourhoods most affected by crime and deviant behaviour among our youth”.



However, she warned that it would not be open to so-called “Community Leaders”, a term used here to describe gang leaders.



The Prime Minister said that the employment creation strategy will also include, but not limited to the now popular “Colour Me Orange” programme of the Trinidad and Tobago Housing Development Corporation (HDC), which aims to bring economic opportunities to youths and single women in the 54 housing estates across Trinidad in a massive clean and beautify programme for the Christmas season.



She said this innovative programme will now include a component which utilises local activists, to do home improvements to their own communities in a private public partnership with the HDC.



“Our new project dubbed “58 Duncan Street” will serve as a pilot and hopefully the model for the rest of Trinidad and Tobago, as a case of citizens taking responsibility for their public space,” she said, adding that the government intends to launch that project on Tuesday.



“We are increasing employment in the HDC estates from 450 to 2,000,” she said, adding that the job creation capacities in other programmes such as the National Reforestation Programme and the Unemployment Relief Programme, will be increased in the short term to meet the demands for employment in vulnerable communities.