EDUCATION IS also high on some youths' list of demands from politicians. They feel the system is inadequately preparing young people for employment.
Jason Lovelace, student at the University of the West Indies (UWI), says while the government is making an effort to fix the system, not enough is being done to prepare young people for the labour market.
"I don't think it prepares you enough to survive when you are finished. Some of the things are not practical enough, they are not relevant to survival and I think that is one thing they need to tackle," he says.
TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGY
He adds that more vocational type institutions need to be created that place more emphasis on training and technology usage.
The educational system has been acidulously criticised by both private and public sectors over the years for its inadequate preparation workers for employment in our global environment. Recently, Minister of National Security and PNP president hopeful, Dr. Peter Phillips, censured the system for its lack of proper training. Up to 73 per cent of youths leave school without certification, while more than 25 per cent of them only complete four years of high school, he noted.
Lovelace believes this adds to the countries deteriorating economic circumstances, as many graduates, at both the tertiary and secondary levels, are unable to gain employment. Last year, the youth unemployment rate was four times more than adults, recording a 30.6 per cent unemployment rate among 14 to 24-year-olds.
