Good afternoon everyone.

ROADTOWN Tortola BVI. January 20th, 2012  --  As I look around the room, I am overwhelmingly gratified to see the complement of persons assembled here as we try to tackle this very serious problem of unemployment among the population of this growing Territory.

Ladies and Gentlemen, job placement and significantly lowering the unemployment rate are critically important to the sustainability and viability of these Virgin Islands and my Government.

It is gratifying that even the youth is represented in this room for we see them with young minds and the potential for the development of this Territory’s future. So we welcome them as a valued partner to assist with finding solutions to this ever-growing problem within the community.

From the very onset, we declared that we would improve the standard of living for all Virgin Islanders. Certainly unemployment does not help us to realise this objective and it is with that in mind that this Government embarks on a number of strategies that would curb this dilemma of which we find ourselves.

Your collective presence here today signifies that we are well on our way with this very important initiative. Individuals have already answered the call and signed up to seek employment. Further to that we have interfaced with employers, some of whom are present today, signifying their partnership with Government’s attempt to understand the needs of Government and of you the potential employees and we will continue to do more.

We thank these companies for being willing to at least hear Government’s proposal and to see if there could be a possible match with the skills of the unemployed and the needs of their individual businesses.

The sustainability of the Virgin Islands depends on a healthy public-private sector partnership in the area of employment. So far, my Government has held consultations with key stakeholders in the tourism and financial services industries and a common thread in our discussion was the training of human capital, which is a priority of this Government.

We anticipate that this partnership we see today will develop and keep maturing for generations to come. We are confident that the relevant training these youth would receive will help them to contribute positively to the organisation in which they find themselves. Additionally, through this initiative by the Government spearheaded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, we hope that your company would be better placed to compete on an equal footing with the rest of the world.

When I addressed this Territory during my budget speech on Tuesday, I did say that my Government will continue to tackle youth unemployment through training and assisting in job search. This is part of what is happening here today where the public and private sectors are coming together to collaborate on this very important initiative.

I commend the Minister for Education and his team for its Youth Unemployment Register (YUR) initiative. We must continue to recognise that improving the standard of living for all means empowering people to think and work for themselves.

Again, I thank you the business owners for rising to the challenge. Your attendance here today is promising. I look forward to the positive outcomes emanating from this very important initiative as we continue to partner in finding effective solutions to build a brighter tomorrow for ourselves and the future generation of Virgin Islanders.

Thank you.

*************************
DISCLAIMER

This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKNVibes.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of SKNVibes.com, its sponsors or advertisers