Horace Fisher, Gleaner Writer

TOLL GATE, Clarendon:

"THERE IS nothing wrong with Jamaica that cannot be fixed with what is right about Jamaica", were the words of Governor General Sir Patrick Allen as he addressed the county of Middlesex annual Governor General I Believe consultative youth conference.

The governor general, who conceptualised the youth initiative to empower young people in Jamaica through entrepreneurship programmes, told the 50 Middlesex participants that Jamaicans are full of potential.

"Despite our many challenges, we are a people who are full of potential; look at the 2012 London Olympics, we didn't have the best facilities compared to the rest of the world, but still our performances at the games were magnificent," he told the gathering in Toll Gate, Clarendon, last Thursday.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Sharon Folkes-Abrahams, while endorsing the initiative, pointed to a wide array of potential jobs that are expected to come on stream from the expanded Panama Canal in 2015.

The investment and commerce state minister listed a number of skilled areas that the expanded Panama Canal's logistic hub in Jamaica will need to operate efficiently.

"We are talking about Central America, Spanish speakers; we are looking at interpreters, tugboat operators, business development specialists, purchasing managers, informational technology specialists, transportation managers and other specialist areas. Therefore, this is an opportunity for you as young entrepreneurs to position yourself for the canal's opening in 2015," she added.

The 50 Middlesex's participants were drawn from Clarendon, St Catherine, St Ann, St Mary and Manchester.

rural@gleanerjm.com