Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 18, 2009 (SKNIS): The needs and interests of the youth population are currently being studied to ensure Government agencies and programmes remain on target, in service delivery.
On Thursday’s edition of Perspectives, the radio magazine programme of SKNIS, Director of Youth, Geoffrey Hanley, indicated that a school leaver’s survey is presently underway to capture the dreams and aspirations of students about to enter a new stage in life.
“It’s basically to give us an idea, as we plan … the various programmes and activities that young people are requesting,” he said, adding that the information will be used to track trends. “We will be doing a tracer of these young people … to see if the [preferences] indicated on the survey are really what they have stuck to.”
Survey forms were distributed to all secondary schools in St. Kitts. Information requested include, immediate plans after leaving school; career goals; interest in furthering education; and interest in academic or vocational areas.
“If we find that 80 percent of respondents say that they are not going to the local C. F. Bryant College (CFBC) but are leaving directly for university abroad … the Ministry of Education and CFBC staff will have to strategize and consider what can be done to enhance their offerings,” Director Hanley said.
He also speculated that if a trend develops where a higher percentage of respondents indicate a desire to attend CFBC for vocational studies rather than academic … then administrators will have an opportunity to plan strategically to meet that demand.
Forms were distributed a few weeks ago and some submissions have already been received. However, the school leaver’s survey is not the only source of information that will guide Government’s policy.
Fritzroy Wilkin, the Director of the National Skills Training Programme (NSTP) also was a guest on this week’s Perspectives, and he stated that the data collected for the Youth Empowerment through Skills (Y.E.S.) project is vital to the future of the country.
Y.E.S. focuses on skills development, employment opportunities and career and social advancement through work experience and job placement. Under this project over 500 young people were interviewed and identified preferred occupational areas.
“In speaking to our young people, we are able to see which areas they are interested in, particularly as it relates to skills training,” Mr. Wilkin explained. “This information is important in determining the skill set of the population and will create a competent pool of artisans which are attractive to investors of projects such as those at Christophe Harbour.”
