The HEART/NSTA Trust, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Youth, Jamaica Library Service (JLS), and Junior Achievement Jamaica (JAJ), will host activities marking National Career Awareness Week 2022, from February 6 to 11.

The week is being observed under the theme: ‘Career Success: Building Critical Skills to Navigate the Future’.

Manager for HEART’s Career Development Support Services Department Erica Williams told JIS News that the activities kicked off with a national church service on Sunday, February 6 at Calvary Missionary Church, 5 Highbury Street, Morant Bay, St Thomas.

This was followed by a JLS-hosted career exposition commencing Monday at the entity’s headquarters, 2 Tom Redcam Drive, Kingston 5. The exposition continues throughout the week and will be streamed live to all 14 parish libraries, among other access points.

On Tuesday, the education ministry will host a youth forum targeting primary and secondary students, which will focus on Jamaica’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Williams said the forum aims to introduce students to the SDGs Jamaica is looking to achieve.

On Wednesday, HEART will stage a national career conference at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, under the sub-theme: ‘Building Resiliency and Skills for the Future of Work’, which will be streamed live to various social media platforms.

Among the focus topics are: ‘Marketing the Self/ Personal Branding’; ‘Tools and Strategies for Rethinking, Reimagining and Reinventing Self for Post-Retirement’; and ‘Financing Higher Education’.

Highlight of the day will be a series of entrepreneurship roundtables that will take place in HEART’s six regions.

Williams further advised that HEART will host career counselling and consultation ‘Pon di Cawna’ sessions in all 14 parishes.

These will be target youth who are not in school nor enrolled in a training programme, or employed.

“We really want persons to engage the youth ‘pon di cawna’, especially those who are hanging on a limb,” she said.

The Junior Achievement activities will be executed in collaboration with the ministry on Thursday at the Caenwood Centre, Arnold Road, Kingston.

National Careers Week will culminate on Friday, February 11 with several activities. These include a panel discussion on new and emerging careers in a pandemic/post-pandemic era, focusing on areas such as the business process outsourcing (BPO), health care, information and communication technology (ICT), and the cultural and creative arts.

Williams said objectives of National Career Week are to promote career development awareness for people of all ages who are at various stages of life; highlight new and emerging skills for the future workplace; promote awareness of financial opportunities to finance higher education; and unearth students’ and trainees’ creativity in fostering career awareness.

Jamaica has been observing the week of activities since 2011 when it was launched by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who was then minister of education.