KINGSTON, Jamaica — Seven scholarships are to be established in the names of Jamaica’s seven most recent ministers of labour as part of a restructured Social Intervention Programme aimed at better serving the most vulnerable Jamaicans.

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles Jr, said the revamped programme will include three major elements:

• The establishment of the Executive Development and Growth Experience (EDGE) Internship Programme within the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which will provide structured professional experience across key sectors.
• An expansion of in-field support capacity for disaster response and social intervention activities, and
• The scholarship programme.

According to Charles Jr, “a country cannot effectively support vulnerable people unless it intentionally develops the human capacity required to serve them”.

To this end, he disclosed that a committee has been established to develop specific scholarships in areas of critical need. The projected areas thus far are:

• The Karl Samuda Social Intervention Scholarship;
• he Lester Michael Henry Labour and Human Development Scholarship;
• The Shahine Robinson Inclusive Development Scholarship;
• The Fenton Ferguson Early Stimulation Scholarship;
• The Pearnel Charles Sr Labour and Human Development Scholarship;
• The Derrick Kellier Human Capital Development Scholarship and
• The Horace Dalley Social Development Scholarship.

Charles Jr said the scholarships will support studies in special education, disability services, behavioural therapy, early stimulation, social intervention and related fields.

“This is how we connect legacy to opportunity. This is how we honour service by investing in service. And this is how we build the next generation of professionals who will strengthen Jamaica’s capacity to support and protect its most vulnerable citizens,” he said.

He added that, “As we speak about investment in people, dignity and inclusion across every stage of life, it is also important that we recognise those who have contributed to nation-building and who now represent the wisdom, resilience and legacy of generations past”.