LISA Hanna, minister of youth and culture, is calling on our nation's technologically driven youths to become a part of Digital Jam 2.0.

Digital Jam 2.0 is an educational programme recently developed by the Government of Jamaica, the Ministry of Youth and Culture in collaboration with the World Bank and telecommunication partners -- LIME Jamaica and FLOW -- that seeks to open employment opportunities for our nation's technology driven youths, who are either unemployed or enrolled in institutions, and seek to facilitate youth employment in the virtual global economy of the World.

Digital Jam 2.0 begun on April 30 in Jamaica, but was officially launched last Tuesday.

It will last for two months and features a host of training events and competitions which includes: technology camps, a 24-hour hackathon, a mobile apps contest, apps development workshops and a marketplace/job fair event and seminars.

The programme was launched at the Office of the Prime Minister by Hanna and representatives of the World Bank.

At the media launch, Hanna stated that Digital Jam 2.0 has been implemented not only to offer technology-based opportunities for our nation's unemployed youths, but to begin spreading the message that technological innovation amongst our youths, is the way forward for our nation's virtual economy to grow.

"The Ministry of Youth and Culture is now positioning itself, not only strengthening the institutional framework and capacities, but coming up with new initiatives to drive their (our nation's youths) understanding that one, Jamaica is not the same place that your parents and grandparents occupied many years ago. It is now a country that is competing with some of the largest manufacturing countries for their pride of place. The only way we are going to get economic growth, is if you as a population become productive, understand that you have to help us drive that," she said.

Unemployment, Hanna said, affects a large number of Jamaica's youth. The global online world of business and employment now presents unparalleled new options that can satisfy some of the job demands of our unemployed youths.