SHAUNA Mercy will not have to worry about school expenses when she makes the transition to Sixth Form in the new school year.

For, while many of her peers attend summer school, relax by the beach, laze with friends or hop on planes to various overseas destinations, Mercy has been gaining valuable on-the-job experience and earning a couple thousand dollars working at a telecommunications company.

The 16 year-old St Andrew High School graduate is among approximately 2,400 youth who have been employed at various government and non-governmental agencies under the National Summer Employment Programme–a government-funded project facilitated by the National Youth Service (NYS).

Mercy, one of seven recruits deployed to Telnet Communications, told the Observer that she is adapting well to her placement and is looking forward to the beginning of the new school term where her stipend will be used to continue her studies.

“I feel very good. And the people that I work with make me feel comfortable because I don’t feel tense around them.”

The youngster especially liked the fact that the company’s dress code was not rigid.

“We don’t have to dress uptight nor act uptight, even in the way we dress. I can wear a nice blouse and skirt without the stockings,” she said.

“We are able to feel comfortable in a comfortable surrounding,” she added.

Meanwhile, Patrick Ferguson, a property administrator employed to the National Land Agency, downtown Kingston, who directly supervises two other youth participants– Kadi-Ann Cresser and Kay Bishop–is today breathing a sigh of relief.

According to Ferguson, he got the best of the lot. He in fact expressed satisfaction with the level of preparation the students were given by the NYS in their orientation sessions.

“So far they have adapted and have applied themselves quite well,” he boasted, adding that with much training “from our well-trained staff and the strategies NYS has put in place for them, they’ll be ready professionally for the work world”.

The programme, which seeks to provide employment islandwide for young people from fourth form to the tertiary level, is expected to cost approximately $50 million, of which $20 million has already been spent on the July phase.

The youth organisation says it is still waiting for the balance of the money for the next phase, scheduled for August.

Education minister, Maxine Henry-Wilson, on Tuesday officially launched the programme before a sea of almost 800-white T-shirt and jeans clad youth at the Emancipation Park in Kingston.

The minister urged the youngsters to make good use of the opportunity given to them.

“Mothers and fathers have great ambitions for their children and they want to see you better than they were…not just your potential but also in terms of your ability to adapt to the society and environment in which you live,” she said.

She also encouraged programme participants to spend their money wisely, informing them “that the big earring and big chains can wait”.

“The Summer Employment Programme allows you to earn something so you can go back to school and so you can better yourselves–a little bit of independence,” she remarked.

The programme, which is in its third year, has secured employment for more than 11,000 youths.

Under the programme, they are taught–through work experiences and orientation sessions–discipline, time management, deportment, respect for authority, governance and conflict management.

During their period of service, students of the teritiary level are paid $3000 per week while the high school students are paid a small stipend of $2500 to defray incidental costs.

However, the main objectives of the project are:

* to assist students with their back-to- school expenses;

* to facilitate exposure to work culture;

* allow students from various backgrounds to interface in working relations;

* attach working students to the values and attitude programme;

* provide services to reduce backlog of work in government offices and;

* undertaking environmental projects and educational camps.