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Jamaica

Strategies for youth employment

Strategies for youth employment
Yes

Youth employment strategy planned in the next 2 years

Discussions within the government
Yes
Consultations with national-level stakeholders (e.g. employers’ and workers’ associations, youth councils, etc.)
Yes
A draft strategy already exists
No
Other (please specify)
Yes

Countries with national action plans for youth employment

Monitoring framework (timeline and activity/outcome indicators, e.g. youth labour market indicators)
No
Funding (indicative budget to implement the plan)
No
Institutional responsibilities (e.g. ministries/agencies in charge of specific planned activities )
No
Other, specify
Yes

Public funding for the national youth employment strategy

Public funding for the national youth employment strategy
Yes

Additional information:
1. HEART NSTA Trust was established by an Act of Parliament April 1982. This (HEART NSTA Trust) statutory organisation, has a budget for leading skills training and employment programmes for working aged individuals including youth at risk. This extends to core skills training and technical training that leads to certification. 2. The Ministry of Education and Youth provides funding for youth related activities which are being implemented through other Agencies. 3. The Jamaica Defence Force has also been allocated financial resources for the Implementation of the provisions In the strategy.

Youth in the national development / employment strategy

Youth in the national development / employment strategy
Yes

Additional information:
-Vision 2030 Jamaica: National Development Plan (2009-2030) -The National Youth Policy 2017 (Priority #3, Goal #3)

Countries with national goals for youth employment

Countries with national goals for youth employment
Yes

Additional information:
The National Youth Service (NYS) merged with the HEART NSTA Trust since 2019. The focus is geared towards ensuring that no Jamaican youth is left behind or unattached from institutions of learning and training and personal development. National Youth Policy 2017-30: Priority area #3: Employment and Entrepreneurship: Goal # 3: Increased Youth Access to Employment and Entrepreneurship Opportunities. To achieve the desired goal, the policy outlines the following strategic objectives: 1. Promote skills development for youth employment in the context of globalization and technological innovation; 2. Promote designation of funds to enable employment among vulnerable groups including youth with disabilities, young women and street youth; 3. Promote through policy formulation an enabling environment for employment of youth and youth with special needs – youth with varied abilities 4. Promote the Decent Work Agenda to ensure employability of the youth; 5. Promote professionalization of youth workers 6. Increase access to and the availability of labour market information; 7. Improve monitoring mechanisms to ensure that education and vocational training are responsive to the changing demand for skills in the labour market. 8. Provide expanded training programmes in priority growth-related industries - to include, logistics, business process outsourcing, information and communication technologies, cultural and creative industries, agribusiness and energy; 9. Strengthen avenues for providing work experience/apprenticeship for youth 10. Establish an enabling environment for youth entrepreneurship, especially in agricultural and sport. Vision 2030 Medium Term Framework Socio-Economic Policy Framework(National, Sector & Priority Strategies): 1. National Strategy 1-1: Maintain a Stable Population a. Sector Strategies: i. Strengthen the Policy and Strategic Framework for Coordinated Youth Development Action Across the Island ii. Strengthen national capacity for the inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable youth to enhance life chances and reduce engagement in anti-social behaviours b. Priority Strategies and Actions for FY2018/2019 -- FY2020/2021 i. Promulgate National Youth Policy 2017-2030 and coordinate ii. Advance Implementation of the Learn, Earn, Give and Save (LEGS) Programme iii. Advance implementation of the National Unattached Youth Programme (NUYP) 2. National Strategy 2-3: Ensure that the Secondary School System Equips School Leavers to Access Further Education, Training and/or Decent Work a. Sector Strategy: Provide multiple pathways to equip each school leaver to transition into higher education and/or the world of work i. Complete implementation of employability skills/finishing school programme to support emerging sectors such as Global Shares services (BPO) ii. Establish World Skills Club in secondary schools to facilitate School-to-Work Transition 3. National Strategy 2-7: Ensure that Adequate and High Quality Tertiary Education is provided with an Emphasis on the Interface with Work and School 4. National Strategy 2-8: Expand Mechanisms to Provide Access to Education and Training for All, including Unattached Youth a. Sector Strategy: Improve access to training and increase the range of training programmes for underserved youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs) i. Expand the National Service Corps Programme

Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment

Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment
Yes

Policy areas in national youth employment strategies

Macroeconomic and Sectoral policies
No
Enterprise Development
Yes
Education, Training and skills development
Yes
Labour Demand
No
Labour Law and Legislation
No
Labour Market Policies
No
Other (please specify)
No

Social partners' inclusion in the youth employment strategy

Workers
Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
Not involved
Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
Not involved
Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
Not involved
Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
Not involved
Employers
Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
Consulted
Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
Fully involved
Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
Fully involved
Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
Consulted
Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
Consulted

Youth-led organizatios' inclusion in the national strategy

Fully involved
No
Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
No
Consulted
No
Informed
No
Not involved
No

Countries with national partnerships for youth employment

Countries with national partnerships for youth employment
Yes

Additional information:
2024: National Initiatives as follows: 1. Partnerships for the LIFT programme with ministries, department and agencies. 2. HOPE Programme - HOPE, National Service Corps Programme, offered to unattached youth between the ages of 17 and 29, the HOPE National Service Corps is designed to support young people who are serving as apprentices within the National Service Corps. - HOPE Youth Summer Work Programme (HYSWP), offered to persons between the ages of 17 and 29 (up to age 34 for those with disabilities) throughout the summer, the Hope Youth Summer Work Programme is designed to provide opportunities to acquire valuable work experience at a range of public and private sector entities. 3. Our Graduate Work Experience Programme (GWEP) is carefully crafted to support graduates between the ages of 17 and 29 with little or no working experience in their field of study. 4. Registered Apprenticeship Programme (RAP) is specially designed for individuals over the age of 16 years who have completed a minimum secondary high school education at the grade 9 level. 5. Partnerships with private sector entities: China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) o Global Sector Services o Jamaica Manufacturing Employment Agency (JMEA) 6. International partnerships such as the European Union and Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE), Canada Project.

Inclusiveness of vulnerable groups in national strategies

Women
Yes
Migrant Workers
No
NEETs
Yes
People with disabilities
Yes
Low skilled workers
Yes
Rural workers
No
Other (please specify)
No

Youth employment strategies and international cooperation

Youth employment strategies and international cooperation
Yes

Additional information:
2024 ILO provided support to HEART NSTA Trust to host a regional symposium in November 2023. The symposium was entitled “TVET: A pillar for social and economic change.” The event addressed issues such as quality apprenticeships, digitalization, and lifelong learning and social inclusion. In addition to Jamaica, the event included partners from other Caribbean countries such as Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis ----------------------- 2020 New Employment Opportunities for Youth in Jamaica (NEO-Jamaica). See description already alluded in response to question at 11.1