By Claudia Gardner, Gleaner WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
OFFICERS ASSIGNED to the Social Development Commission (SDC) in Hanover have devised an ambitious plan, which will entail the setting up of a skills data bank and the revitalisation of Community Based Organisations (CBOs), to tackle the unemployment problem across the parish.
The programme, which is aimed primarily at youth clubs, will see the SDC joining forces with the HEART Trust/NTA to offer programmes in capacity building and leadership training to youth clubs and other Non-Governmental Organisations in the parish.
The SDC office, which has been restructured after one year of being dormant, is now fully staffed and in full operation since June.
"Many communities across Hanover have large numbers of young people between the ages of 16 and 30 who are unoccupied," said Ronald Webster, SDC community development officer for the Lucea/Kingsvale area.
SKILL
"Some are unoccupied because they do not possess a skill, while others have a skill but are unable to find work. This has been a concern for many persons who have been wondering how to help deal with the problem."
According to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), the last census conducted in 2001 revealed that of a labour force of 32,100 persons in Hanover, over 5,700 were unemployed.
Hanover has the smallest population in Jamaica at just over 65,000, which is just about two per cent of the island's total population.
Mr. Webster said that CBOs and youth groups are being encouraged to give information on as many youths in their community who fall in the 16 to 30 age groups.
He said that after the information is analysed, the SDC would be assisting in acquiring training to make their communities more sustainable.
Archibald Edwards, the SDC officer of the Hopewell and Sandy Bay Development, says most communities in Hanover are now taking a more active role in planning for educational and basic needs such as small infrastructure projects, which requires collaboration with local service providers.
