Solving Jamaica's productivity crisis: training for growth

Education Minister Andrew Holness has identified what he described as "a lack of purposed identity" as one of the main problems facing Jamaica.

"In a productive society, everyone is able to define themselves by what they do and what they know," Holness said recently, as he launched the National Career Development Awareness Week at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.

Addressing students and educators, Holness emphasised the corelation between professional identity and productivity.

"Poverty is driven by a lack of knowledge, and the solution to poverty is dependent on the ability to have productive skill," argued Holness.

He charged that an expanding labour market will force individuals to take on multiple careers and acquire multiple skills to survive.

In his address, president of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Associa-tion, Omar Azan, applauded HEART/Trust NTA for its dedication in training workers based on the needs of industry.

But Azan argued that this was not enough.

"On-the-job training should complement training pro-grammes," said Azan, who stressed the need for a workforce certified in areas where employment opportunities already exist.

"The survival and success of our manufacturing sector is reliant upon the success of the Jamaican people," added Azan

That was underscored by Dr Wayne Wesley, chief technical director of the HEART Trust/ NTA.

Wesley stressed the importance of skills training for sustainable economic development.

He said the HEART Trust/NTA is dedicated to creating an international-standard workforce.

"We seek to create a competitive advantage for Jamaicans on the global stage," said Wesley.

That sentiment was repeated by president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association, Nadine Molloy Young.

She urged Jamaicans to view education and training from an international perspective.

"We are operating in a global context, the world is now seamless," said Molloy Young.

The occasion was a collaborative effort involving the Ministry of Education and the HEART Trust/NTA to create awareness of career options among youth.