SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland – In full election mode, People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell on Sunday provided insight into two programmes that he said would give the nation’s youth a second opportunity to be productive citizens.

The programmes, he said, have been dubbed the ‘Second Chance Initiative (SCI)’ and the ‘Skills Training Entrepreneurial Programme (STEP)’.

“We will be doing our Second Chance Initiative [for] those youngsters who didn’t get what they wanted at the first try; and [for] the young lady who got pregnant and had to drop out of school. They might give up on you but we nah give up on you,” Campbell told Comrades at The Manning’s School where the PNP presented its Westmoreland candidates for the local government elections constitutionally due by February 28.

In addition to being the party’s very vocal general secretary, Campbell has his sights set on bringing home Westmoreland Eastern for the PNP in the next general election due by 2025.

“Time come now for you [youth] to have access to a second chance in skills training,” he said to thunderous applause Sunday night.

According to Campbell, youngsters will have more than 16 skills training options from which to choose under the programmes proposed by the PNP, in addition to doing five Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) subjects.

“Those are mathematics, English, human and social biology, social studies and principles of business (POB),” he said.

“Time come now to give real opportunities for our people,” Campbell bellowed from the platform.

He said youngsters who successfully take advantage of SCI will be granted loans to start small businesses while those who complete STEP will receive grants to help them become business owners.

Campbell stressed that they would be provided with the theoretical knowledge needed to increase their chances of success.

“When we give you the skills training we will put you in the POB class so you know how to manage your money and understand the difference between net profit and gross profit,” he said in explaining how the programme will work.

“You will be able to run your own thing and then we will give you a grant to start your own business. Time come now to lift our people out of poverty,” Campbell added.