Dennise Williams, Staff Reporter
From left, Homer Mckenzie of Andrews Memorial Hospital, Rochelle Gayle of Businessuite magazine and Herald Grey of Montego Bay Ice Company Ltd. show their plaques at the PSOJ Job Creation awards ceremony held at the Terra Nova Hotel yesterday. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
JAMAICA HAS no option, but to identify areas in which it has a competitive advantage and mobilise the entire country around production in these areas, says Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips.
Dr. Phillips said a partnership between the government and the private sector will facilitate the creation of enterprises of a sufficient scale and efficiency connected to growth areas of the economy.
He was speaking at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) job creation breakfast held at the Terra Nova Hotel yesterday.
"Job creation is going to depend on the extent to which the big players in the economy source their inputs locally," he said. And among the required inputs are labour and security.
The problem is that there is a vast pool of unskilled labour that then creates security issues.
"The thousands of young people waiting to be recruited to a life of crime are only going to be diverted by an expansion of economic opportunity that will allow them to earn a living with some kind of dignity."
AT RISK GROUP
According to the minister, the group of young people in the 15-29 age group which is at risk comprises some 123,000 individuals who are unemployed and most whom have no educational certification of any kind. This stratum provides 75 per cent of the perpetrators and 75 per cent of the victims of violent crime.
"They dominate our urban communities and are at the centre of the extortion rackets and the murders which go along with the fight for turf," Dr. Phillips said.
"One major contributor to this situation is that we have not yet succeeded in establishing an environment for wealth creation and a culture of entrepreneurship."
'PROJECT JAMAICA'
The minister then offered his programme to make life better in Jamaica.
Referring to his vision as 'Project Jamaica', Dr. Phillips explained that this focuses on three major issues.
First is the facilitation of the creation of enterprises of a sufficient scale and efficient to create job growth.
Secondly, Dr. Phillips spoke of, reducing criminal violence and anti-social behaviour by more effective policing to deal with battles over turf and homicides which result from domestic violence.
Finally, he said, the classroom is the only place where we find more than half of the population of Jamaica assembled five days a week.
"It is here that not only academic and technical instruction must take place but any serious campaign to inculcate appropriate values and attitudes. The clear priority is the recruitment and training of teachers with the capacity and skills to influence behavioural patterns and impart knowledge. So a modern system of education and training rooted in modern technology is required to improve the productivity of the labour force, while facilitating building of positive social relations across all classes."
JOB CREATION
After Dr. Phillips' speech, the PSOJ presented awards to three companies for their job creation efforts.
The companies awarded at this month's ceremony were Businessuite magazine, Andrews Memorial Hospital and Montego Bay Ice Company Limited.
The PSOJ recognises companies that have made investments that have led to the creation of a minimum of 25 new employment opportunities within the previous six months.
