LABOUR Minister Derrick Kellier has encouraged young people from western Jamaica, who benefited from a Steps-to-Work Summer Camp, to use the experience to improve their social and economic circumstance, and contribute to the development of their communities and country.

During the three-week camp organised by the ministry, the 88 youngsters from the parishes of St James, Hanover and St Elizabeth participated in intensive training in food preparation, barbering, nail technology, cosmetology, plumbing, and electrical installation, among other areas.

There were also classes in English and mathematics, as well as activities to assist in personal development through sports, drama and cultural literacy.

Minister Kellier, who addressed the closing ceremony at Maldon High School in St James on Friday, urged the campers to “use this summer camp experience to move from vulnerability into a position of personal sustainability”.

“Become better workers and better members in your communities. Jamaica belongs to you and you are a part of the next generation of nation builders,” he added.

The campers, aged 18 and 19, were among 200 beneficiaries under the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) who were targeted with a view to having them reintegrate into the formal education system and subsequently, the labour market.

A similar camp was held at the YWCA School Leavers Institute on Arnold Road in Kingston.

Minister Kellier noted that the skills learned would put the participants in a better position to capitalise on job opportunities here and abroad.

“Indeed, job prospects exist in labour markets overseas, especially for skilled workers. In the Canadian labour market, for example, skills such as accounting, mechanics, trailer driving, and heavy duty mechanics and construction are increasingly in demand,” he pointed out.

“Our challenge as a country is to supply such skilled workers on a consistent and reliable basis and this is part of the discussion in which I engaged on recent trips to Canada and the United States of America,” Kellier continued.

He announced that by the end of January 2016, each of the participants should be placed in one of the interventions offered under the Steps-To-Work programme — HEART Trust/NTA vocational programmes; job-readiness training, for those who have the academic qualifications to enter the job market; and interventions to complete secondary education.

In her remarks, permanent secretary in the ministry, Colette Roberts Risden, said Steps-to-Work is an important part of the Government’s strategy to reduce the youth unemployment rate through social interventions, skills training and employment programmes.

The annual summer camp, which is in its sixth year, involves partnership with the Ministry of Education, the National Youth Service (NYS), the HEART Trust/NTA and the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL).

Steps-To-Work targets working-age members of families on PATH, providing them with training and on-the-job experience to enable them to seek and retain employment.