YUTE: giving youths a second chance

A year ago, Tevin Williams didn't hold much hope for his future. At 17 years old, the Arnette Gardens resident, who didn't graduate high school, felt lost and burdened with the likelihood of being stuck in the inner city all his life.

"Sometimes it was very hard," he said.

But a chance encounter with an elderly resident in the community would change Williams' perspective on his own life and prospects.

"I heard someone talking about this YUTE programme. They made it sound good, so I decided to check it out," he said.

Established by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), the Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE) programme is designed to empower some 2,200 unattached youths from inner -ity communities by focusing on building technical and social skills, increasing employability, and providing entrepreneurship opportunities.

Williams signed up and started attending workshops geared at making him more of an attractive option for employers.

"I learned about how to socialise with others in the workplace, how to dress for work and how to do cover letters and so on. It really helped," he said.

The National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCB), through its NCB Foundation, donated $20 million to the YUTE programme.

Project funding

The bank's contribution is used to fund the Career Preparedness Workshops (which Williams participated in) aimed at preparing at-risk youth for placement in jobs which have been pledged by businesses under the YUTE Job Opportunity Bank (JOB).

"NCB's corporate social responsibilities are inextricably aligned with the bank's overall strategic goal of building a successful financial institution. This partnership gives us the opportunity to give back to our nation's young people while contributing significantly to the improvement of our country's social and economic development," expressed Patrick Hylton, group managing director at NCB.

For Williams, YUTE has been a life-changer.

"I have a more mature way of thinking now. The programme is really positive and helpful. With this kind of vision it is possible for all young, talented people in Jamaica to not only dream but to become professional individuals," he said.

CAPTION: Patrick Hylton (second right), group managing director, National Commercial Bank (NCB) Jamaica Limited, shares a light moment with (from left) Tracey Spence, portfolio analyst, NCB Capital Markets; and YUTE participants, Tevin Williams and Sanique Brown, at a recent courtesy call on him at the bank's New Kingston headquarters. The NCB Foundation donated $20m to fund the Career Preparedness Workshops established by the YUTE programme to assist in the further development of its participants. - Contributed