WESTERN BUREAU — Up to 50 students may benefit from a work study programme being spearheaded by two St James parliamentarians.

To qualify, students must be at the upper-level in high school; or enrolled in either the Montego Bay Community College or the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College. Student selection will also be based on financial need.

Ed Bartlett, member of parliament for East Central St James and his counterpart in West Central, Clive Mullings, collaborated on the $600,000 initiative, which will start with 25 students in the upcoming September term. Participants will each be paid $1,000 per week for working two hours per day, five days per week.

“I know some people will say that $1,000 is not a lot; but it is $1,000 you did not have,” said Mullings.

The money earned, Bartlett intimated, would help students resist the lure of those who may try to exploit them.

“We know there are those out there that seek to exploit our young ones for some Kentucky chicken and a bus fare and lure them down the wrong path,” he said. “We want this to stop. This (programme) is so that they don’t fall prey to the unscrupulous ones because their parents could not give them a little money to go to school.”

He said he will be meeting with members of the private sector over the next two weeks in an attempt to have them sponsor another 25 students and broaden the programme. The Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry has already expressed an interest in the project.

“The Chamber would definitely support a system that provides employment for youngsters,” said vice president, Stephen Dear. “Provided that proper documentation of the project is brought before us… we would support an initiative of that nature.”

And on Sunday, Bartlett presented awards to some of the 1,200 students who have this year benefited from a $1.5 million “Labour for Learning” programme. The ceremony was held at the Richmond Hill hotel in Montego Bay.

Funded through the JLP’s Queen of Spain Fund, as well as money from Bartlett’s share of the Social Economic Support Programme, the “Labour for Learning” initiative is a seven year-old thrust to give less-fortunate students a chance at success through education.

Since its inception in 1997, $3.5 million has been spent on the programme that has benefited between 5,000 and 6,000 students.