They must report on disasters, crime, corruption, and myriad other stuff going wrong.

But responsible media outlets should also deliberately strive to tell those stories that encourage and uplift the human spirit. Such as that published a few days ago in this newspaper about 33-year-old Ms Ria Anderson who is continuing the shoemaking and repair business, Third World Home of Footwear, started decades ago by her father.

We are told that nine years ago he retired and migrated. Clearly a determined person, Ms Anderson has carried on the business, located on Main Street in Annotto Bay, St Mary.

And she has no plans to stop utilising the skills learnt and honed under her dad’s supervision during her growing-up years.

We are told she not only repairs shoes “better than before” which were originally made from “cheap and poor” materials, she also creates custom-made shoes from “genuine leather…”

Said Ms Anderson: “I am filling a gap with quality…and the kind of personal service you [often] cannot get, [even] in a high-end store.”

Let’s also contemplate, Mr Deron Franklyn, a 42-year-old Portland tailor who has responded to felt need by creating a mobile service to facilitate customers who are unable to come to him.

He has altered his 1994 car to accommodate a sewing machine, and now, in addition to his thriving home-based operation, he makes trips to take on-the-spot measurements from clients and make quick alterations.

Mr Franklyn says he is not alone. Others like him are increasingly operating mobile services for their customers’ convenience.

“This is where the world is going…” he said.

“I’m just one of the first thinkers that move on it, but I know it’s on a lot of people’s minds…” he added.

We believe Mr Franklyn’s advice for young people that, “Skill-building is the way out right now. Once you have a skill, you always have an option…” is crucial.

It’s all the more important given the shortage of skilled labour, not just locally, but globally.

Long before Hurricane Melissa’s rampage, Jamaicans had become accustomed to the shortage — with construction experts, such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, welders, masons, high on the list. Since the Category 5 storm last October, it has become multiple times more apparent.

We strongly suspect that is a major reason for the slow pace of school repairs, which has triggered complaints from Education Minister Ms Dana Morris Dixon and others.

Hence the wisdom of plans announced recently by her for an even greater integration of skills-focused HEART/NSTA Trust programmes in the curriculum of high schools than now exists.

Happily, comments by Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) president, Ms LaSonja Harrison, suggest the Government and teachers share similar views on this matter.

“Isn’t it high time that all children leaving high school do so with certification in a skilled area? If we mean our population any good, that needs to become mandatory,” Ms Harrison said earlier this month.

And Senator Morris Dixon has told teachers that, “I need your help with telling parents that your child wanting to be a plumber is a good thing. I want you to be able to tell your parents that if your child wants to do construction, that’s great.”

Way to go, we say.