Young professionals host skills consortium

In an effort to reduce brain drain and build social capital, The Young Professionals Network of Jamaica (YPNJ) will be launching its Skills Consortium on Wednesday, May 18.

President of the YPNJ, Bronhil Thompson, explained that the Skills Consortium will comprise a cadre of skilled and experienced professionals, such as marketers, graphic designers, researchers, project-management specialists, writers, accountants, paralegals, and proposal writers, who will be available for employment on a part-time, short term or project basis.

She noted that professionals enlisted in the database are expected to earn income, expand clientele, and gain further experience, among other benefits. According to her, companies and institutions that need professional talent to complete a project, task or weekend assignment, can benefit tremendously from this venture.

"Very often a company may have a small project that will pay $10,000, $20,000 or $30,000, but the cost to search for and recruit a skilled professional to execute it satisfactorily exceeds that amount. The Skills Consortium solves that problem," argued Thompson.

The YPNJ president further stressed that persons who have projects, tasks, or short-term assignments can use the information and they will send them the profiles of 3 to 4 persons who are available and can fit the bill.

"This is at no cost to them now ... but there will be a small fee in the near future. We are very excited about this initiative. One of our objectives is to build social capital among our young professionals and this we believe is the perfect opportunity," said Thompson.