MINISTER of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams, has underscored the need for opportunities to be made available for young people, in an effort to deter them from participating in the lucrative lottery scamming scheme, which is being blamed for a slew of murders across western Jamaica.

“In Montego Bay there is quite a bit of scamming and it is leading to a lot of problems, including murder and the rest of it. We have to rid the society of it. And the only way to do it is to give young people opportunities,” Ffolkes Abrahams argued.

She was speaking at the recent official opening of the Montego Bay branch of the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), located in the Montego Bay Free Zone.

Ffolkes Abrahams, who is also member of Parliament for St James West Central, told the gathering that she has spent roughly $5million from her Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to sponsor the fees for 50 students who now attend the institution, as she urged other western Jamaica-based MPs to “take a leaf from my book”.

“I think I put aside about $5million from my CDF over about three years to pay for the young people to come here, because they could not do it on their own. So, the over 50 young people paid through my CDF are receiving the training that you hear about, and I am inviting all the other members of Parliament in the area, in St James, Hanover, adjoining areas of Trelawny and Westmoreland to come on board in this very important initiative,” urged the MP, in whose constituency the centre is located.

She argued that the CMI is qualified to provide technical skills to prepare youngsters for jobs other than those available in the tourism sector.

Scores of young Montegonians are currently enrolled in programmes at the CMI Integrated Workforce Development Centre in Montego Bay. The facility was established earlier this year with a mandate to integrate academic, technical and professional training in a number of areas, including Business Solutions, Port Operations, Shipping and Logistics, and Engineering.

The training represents a key component of the preparation of western Jamaica’s human resources to meet the needs of the Logistics Hub and Jamaica’s emerging logistics-centred economy.

A group of participants, drawn from Ffolkes Abraham’s constituency, commenced a six -month training programme in May. It combines technical (Logistics and Supply Chain Operations, Warehousing and Distribution); industry-specific (Business Studies and Office Administration) and vocational (Customer Service) training, equipping the participants with the skills, competencies and attitudes to enter the workforce.