BASSETERRE ST KITTS (July 15, 2009) -- The Minister of Housing, Agriculture and Fisheries, Cedric Liburd has said that the Youth Empowerment through Skill (YES) Programme is serving the mandate for which it was established and has recommended that the government should continue with the programme after its stipulated six-month implementation period.
Speaking at the Cayon Community Centre Tuesday evening, Minister Liburd, who is also the area parliamentary representative said: “I am already sold on this programme, and as a government we are saying that we have to continue this programme.”
Scores of residents had gathered at the centre for a demonstration by the twelve trainees in the cake and pastry training unit of YES Programme led by Wilma Burt, who had displayed and offered to the public to eat at no cost, some of the products they had made.
“When we look at what you have made here today, yes we can see that you have been trained well and you have been given the opportunity to do your own thing,” said Minister Liburd. “YES Programme is working and the government is telling you, we will not leave you aside. We are now saying, come, here is something that can help you to get certain things in order to start your own business.”
He pointed out that since the closure of the sugar industry in 2005, the government of St. Kitts and Nevis had marketed the country as a prime tourism destination and remarked that with the skills earned through the training at Cayon, the participants could satisfy the added demand for cake and pastry by the visitors instead of the country relying on imported products.
“The government is creating the opportunity, creating the environment so that our young people can develop their skills and can now use the opportunity to ensure that we do not have to invite people from other countries to come into St. Kitts and Nevis (to do such jobs),” said Liburd.
In praising Wilma Burt for her tremendous contribution to the programme he told the twelve trainees (eleven females and one male) that “you must use Mrs Burt as a success story, pattern your life from Mrs Burt and I can give you the assurance that you can also become successful.”
Chairman of the Implementing Committee for the YES Programme, Mr Fitzroy Wilkin, who is also the Director of Youth Skills, while delivering the feature address said that there was the evidence in the hall that something has been done, referring to the cakes and pastries on display.
He explained that the YES Programme had initially targeted 500 young people and the focus was on persons who were not working. It was laid out in such a way that persons who had experience in their fields were directly put on job attachments. Persons without experience were to be given four-month training before they would go on attachment.
“Four months would be for training and two months for attachment, making it the six months stipulated by the programme,” said Wilkin. “The challenge for us was we were to place 500 persons on jobs and at the same time the job places were laying off people. But nonetheless we had employers who were ready to work with us. Today, our database has 1,100 persons and of that we have been able to place approximately 720 persons.”
Chairing the proceedings was a member of the YES Implementing Committee, June James, who explained that the cake and pastry course was one of first training modules. It began on March 24, with six persons who had applied for the group. It now has 12 persons and she stated that the 16 weeks the training has been undertaken have not been wasted.
“You can take this to the Cabinet,” she requested Mr Liburd. “You have seen firsthand what the training has produced, you can say that the government’s money has not been wasted and I am sure you (government) will want to continue YES Programme up to 2010. When the training started many did not have jobs but what I am hearing is that a few of them want to start their own businesses, so we have not wasted government’s money.”
At the end of the speeches, visitors were treated to cakes and pastries on display and ate as much as they could and most carried some home for their families.. Present at the function included Vancelyn Williams, YES Programme Secretariat manager, Joseph O’Flaherty a member of the YES Programme Implementing Committee and field officer, and an instructor at the Youth Skills, Esinton Watts.
