For three weeks this summer, 4,600 secondary and tertiary level students will be gainfully employed, working at summer jobs provided under the National Youth Service’s National Summer Employment Programme (NSEP).

The students, ranging between 17 and 24 years, will be engaged in the programme being run in two phases, which is funded by the government to the tune of $40 million.

Phase one of the programme began July 10 and will come to a close on July 28, while phase two is scheduled to commence August 7 and conclude August 25.

“The programme is largely about providing (young people) with exposure within the world of work and also a clear opportunity for them to begin to exhibit their productive talents and or capacities,” explained coordinator of the NSEP and executive director of the National Youth Service, Reverend Adinhair Jones.

At the launch of the programme earlier this week, Jones called on the students to develop a spirit of volunteerism and to give of their best to their employers this summer, but also for the government to institute a programme of mandatory service for young people.

“Jamaica needs a master human development plan, something within which our young people can begin to mirror themselves and begin to feel the demands that will be upon them to make something of their lives,” said Jones.

Citing an example from one such programme in Canada, Jones pointed to statistics that indicate that students who participated in such programmes were less likely to become involved in drugs and alcohol, and were more likely to get along with their peers.

In the six years the programme has been in place, it has benefitted 23,700 young people, and the government has spent over $220 million.