KINGSTON, Jamaica – Scores of students from Clarendon North Central got a glimpse into what their future professions might look like, at an exciting Career Fair and Expo on Thursday.

The event, held at the Sir Donald Sangster Community Centre in the parish, provided an opportunity for the students to explore career options and consider career paths that align with their interests.

Soldiers, policemen, firefighters, were among professionals on hand to speak to the students about their jobs, the necessary qualifications, and what they need to do to prepare themselves to enter a particular field.

The youngsters, along with community members, who came out to support the day’s activities, received health checks from the Ministry of Health and Wellness team, and benefited from one-on-one interactions with the participating service providers.

Among the entities mounting booths where the HEART/NSTA Trust; Jamaica Defence Force (JDF); Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF); and Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB); Registrar General’s Department (RGD); Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), as well as the Ministries of Justice, National Security, Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, and Labour and Social Security.

Member of Parliament and Minister with responsibility for Information Robert Morgan, who organised the event in collaboration with local volunteers, said that introducing young people in rural areas to diverse career options is critical in building a strong Jamaican workforce.

“It exposes our young people to other opportunities, so it is not just traditional opportunities… it is a good opportunity to expand people’s horizons so they see there are other things out there that they can do,” he said.

He noted that the event also enabled residents to more easily access information from critical services and agencies.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green, in his address at the opening ceremony, encouraged the youngsters to look into non-traditional fields and emphasised the options available to young people in the agricultural sector.

“Let us take another look at agriculture; let us encourage our children to go into agriculture and let us remember that agriculture is not just about primary production. We do need more agronomists; we do need more persons who study agriculture… and the value-added [industries]. We can use agriculture to transform Jamaica,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Head Girl at Clarendon College, Joshana Cotterell, who aspires to pursue a career in the legal profession, welcomed the initiative.

“It is good for young people to have this exposure, so that they know that there are different career paths that they can pursue and services available to help them,” she said.

The career expo featured a certificate presentation ceremony for individuals who successfully completed HEART/NSTA Trust training programmes.

-JIS