KINGSTON, Jamaica— Twenty-three young people were presented with the 2023 Prime Minister’s National Youth Awards for Excellence (PMNYAE) for achievements in various fields during a ceremony held on Saturday on the lawns of Jamaica House.

Awards were presented in the categories of sport, agriculture, youth development practitioner, youth serving organisation, arts and culture, academics, leadership, journalism/social media influencer, entrepreneurship, nation-building, international achievement, innovation in science and technology, and environmental protection.

Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, in his address, said the event was an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable gains that Jamaica has made in youth development.

“We have made a priority to advance our youth like never before. Over the last eight years we have substantially expanded opportunities for young people and have removed barriers that were often burdens to our youth,” Holness said.

The prime minister highlighted the removal of the requirement for guarantors when applying for a loan through the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB).

“This year, 4,000 Jamaican students who rely on the student loan will not have to face that obstacle anymore,” Holness stated.

He also informed that in the 2024/25 budget, the government has set aside $200 million to help 1,000 students across the island who need extra support with tuition fees.

Holness further stated that the National Housing Trust Scholarship Programme is being expanded to boost the labour supply for the construction sector, to support students studying subjects such as civil engineering, construction management, and architecture.

“Ten students per year will receive up to $1 million each towards their tuition in this area,” he said.

The prime minister also informed that last year the government launched the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) tertiary scholarships, where the government is assisting 1,000 students from low-income households with scholarships over the next five years to pursue a STEM teaching career.

“This represents a total investment of over $2.4 billion in our youth,” Holness said.

In the meantime, Holness said the government has made technical and vocational training at the HEART/ NSTA Trust free, resulting in over 120,000 young people registering since the fees were removed.

He added that this year, the HEART/NSTA Trust will introduce the Community Action for Rewarding Engagement (CARE) initiative, which will provide selected trainees with a monthly transport grant of $15,000, and an additional stipend of $13,000, “to encourage more of our young people” to make use of skill training.

“We are making it easier for you, you have no excuse not to get a skill, and be certified,” he said.

-JIS