ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, February 9th, 2012 – Minister for Communications and Works, Honourable Mark Vanterpool pledged his commitment to institute an apprenticeship programme for young persons as part of the youth employment drive during the job fair opening ceremony that took place this morning at the Multipurpose Sports Complex under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
“As Minister for Communications and Works, I am pleased to stand here today in full support of Honourable Walwyn and his team at the Ministry of Education and Culture to highlight the importance of this job and career fair.
The youth unemployment statistics that we have been presented with over the last several months cannot and should not be taken lightly. Rather, it should be seen as a wake-up call to action for all sectors of our economy that should have a vested interest in moulding and shaping the lives of our young people,” Minister Vanterpool admonished.
According to the Minister, his entire ministry is on board with the initiative and he hopes the programme will have a positive impact on the youth. “I held a meeting with all Heads within the Ministry of Communications and Works, our departments, units and statutory agencies where I challenged them to take ownership of this training initiative,” the Minister noted, adding that one of the main objectives, of the programme is to provide the right atmosphere that will train our apprentices and teach them how to work,” Minister Vanterpool explained.
Collectively as a Ministry, our main goal is to embrace this programme and ensure that it yields positive results. We have therefore pledged our full commitment and will try to juggle resources where necessary to try to place at least 50 individuals.
The Premier, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith OBE announced during the ceremony that he would like to see the apprenticeship programme adopted across all ministries and has directed the Minister for Communications and Works to spearhead the initiative.
In closing the Minister offered words of inspiration. “I want to encourage every young person present here today to take full advantage of this opportunity for training and employment seriously. You are our country’s future and that is why we are investing in you through programmes such as this.
To borrow the words of a famous quote – ‘A mind is a terrible thing to waste.’ Therefore let us all join hands in this partnership for better employment opportunities, for together, we can make a difference.”
The Government is committed to enhancing the quality of life for residents of the Virgin Islands by making sure that the youth population is equipped with the necessary skills and experience to enter the workforce.
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