KINGSTON, Jamaica – Over 12,000 participants have already been placed as part of the Housing Opportunity Production and Employment (HOPE) Youth Summer Work Programme.

The Youth Services Division of the HEART TrustNTA disclosed that the programme has been expanded this year to facilitate placement of participants, beginning in June and extending to August, resulting in a more than 100 per cent increase in the number of participants placed last year.

The placement of participants spans companies within both the private and public sectors, “as we continue to provide meaningful engagement for young people during the summer months,” HEART Trust said.

“Our participants this year have been benefiting from an increase of over 40 per cent in stipend payment for participants at the secondary level and an increase of more than 30 per cent for those at the tertiary level,” the Trust added.

The Youth Services Division also used the opportunity remind stakeholders, particularly youth between the ages of 17-29, that they remain steadfast in their endeavours to provide opportunities for personal and professional development.

The HOPE Youth Summer Work Programme is geared towards empowering Jamaica’s young people and continues to impact the lives of thousands of youth through work experience and opportunities that give youth a much needed glance into the working world, the Trust said adding that the initiative is under the employment component of the HOPE Programme in the Office of the Prime Minister.