Nassau, New Providence - Presentation by the Rt. Hon. Perry
Christie, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas at the Opening
Session of the “Transformation: Skills
for Work – Closing the Skills Gap and Promoting Employment Opportunities for
Youth in The Bahamas”, British Colonial Hilton Hotel, 16th June,
2015
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to address you this morning on
a topic of great importance to our country – “Youth, Employment and Skills
within the National Development Agenda”.
Reducing unemployment throughout The Bahamas, especially
among our youth, is essential to achieving a Stronger Bahamas, which is
something we all want no matter our politics or circumstances. Our work here
today must therefore aim to address the factors and identify the policies and
initiatives that impact the future of young persons as they transition from
school into the economy, and as they transition from adolescence into full
maturity as productive members of Bahamian society.
We know that the Great Recession affected our country
greatly. The Bahamas, with an economy largely based on tourism from the United
States, bore the full brunt of this storm. In one year, from 2009 to 2010,
unemployment rose from 8.7% to 14%
[1]
,
and by May 2014 the unemployment rate reached 14.3% or 28,000 persons.
Happily, however, through prudent economic and fiscal
decisions, aggressive investment management policies and supportive social
policies, we are seeing a recovery. We
have reduced the fiscal deficit by almost two thirds and have started reducing
our debt to GDP ratio as well.
We are also seeing progress in some of our major job
training programmes including the Fresh Start Programme, BAMSI, and other initiatives
that seek to better prepare young Bahamians for the workforce.
Our recovery has been modest, but positive over recent
years and we are on track to achieve a more prosperous and Stronger Bahamas in the
years to come.
However, we cannot rest on our laurels. Recent OECD
statistics suggest that during the global recession, youth unemployment rose to
over 19% in Belgium. In France, youth
unemployment was 23%. In Ireland it was
33%.
[2]
In our own region, youth unemployment has
been particularly high.
Youth in The Bahamas between the ages of 15 to 24,
represent 18% of the labour force, 15% of the employed workforce, but 33% of
the unemployed labour force in 2013.
[3]
Beyond those statistics, there are real people with real
stories of the difficult circumstances they and some 11,000 other youth are having
to endure as a result of unemployment. These youth have become a central plank
of my work as we move ahead with the development of a comprehensive National Development
Plan to guide our country over the next 25 years. This important plan will provide
the roadmap to a Stronger Bahamas for our future. This workshop today is
evidence of the serious commitment I have, and the Government has to ensuring that
our youth are provided with training and employment opportunities that will better
position them for success.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am sure that for any Leader, ensuring the successful
future of our young people is the single most important task of all.
Young people between the ages of 15 to 24 make up about
16% of the Bahamian population. These youth are at a critical stage of their development
- , a time when their character is being cemented; a time when their strengths are
being developed and when their life goals are taking definite shape. It should also be an exciting time for them,
full of hope and possibilities, a time for dreaming about how they can be
engaged in building a Stronger Bahamas.
The successful cases of youth in The Bahamas should not
be understated. Instead they should be celebrated. These so-called “Millennials”
are independent, spirited, naturally curious and entrepreneurial. They question
authority and the old ways of doing things. They push us to be better. They are an important resource for a growing
country like The Bahamas. They are our future leaders. Through family and
government support many are able to pursue higher education and train for
trades and go on to make valuable contributions to our country. Some have
started and expanded successful businesses.
We also know that many of our youth fall by the wayside,
with a lack of formal or informal education and training, unable to secure employment.
Indeed, we all understand the serious ramifications of
this for a country such as ours. In The Bahamas we have seen the effects of
youth who have become disengaged from society and chosen the wrong path towards
crime and other social pathologies, including unprepared pregnancies, drug use
and other illicit activities. Too many have been left defenseless without a
sound education, and without adequate preparation for the job market.
To address this problem, the government introduced a
series of initiatives to support young persons including the National Training
Agency and BAMSI which provides young Bahamians with opportunities outside of
the traditional tourism sector. The government continues to support programmes
such as Youth in Parliament and Youth Ambassadors, Urban Renewal and Youth
Bands. To ensure economic empowerment, the Government has supported programmes
such as Fresh Start, Self Start, and Junior Achievement, and has sought to
strengthen other youth organizations. The government has also maintained its support
for the national educational system. Education continues to account for the
lion’s share of the national budget both directly through our public schools
and through subventions to private schools. The College of The Bahamas, soon to
be the University of The Bahamas, is one of the brightest beacons of support
for the youth. We also continue to support BTVI in providing technical training
to youth. We must continue to make tertiary education affordable and accessible
to all Bahamians.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The focus on young people is obviously not confined to The
Bahamas. In July 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/288. This
historic resolution entitled “The Future We Want” contains, in clause 24, the
essence of what we are here to address today- the issue of improving the
employment resilience of our young people. In this same resolution, the world
assembly voiced its
“deep concern about
the continuing high levels of unemployment and underemployment, particularly
among young people, and note[d] the need for sustainable development strategies
to proactively address youth employment at all levels.”The resolution goes
on to call for“a global strategy on youth and employment”.
[4]
The Bahamas must be part of this global strategy. To do this we must develop our own national
strategy to empower youth with skills for full engagement in their society.
Youth are key to building a Stronger Bahamas.
And so we know that we must focus on skills for
employment and entrepreneurship. Our
basic education, like our neighbours in the Caribbean, must be thought about in
a different way. As I review the annual
statistics which demonstrate the poor educational attainment of many young
people, I ask my colleagues, “what can we be doing differently?” We must not be afraid to think “outside of
the box”. Many of our students are leaving school without the necessary skills
or the right skills to gain employment in areas where employment is
available.
I therefore challenge this gathering to propose viable
and relevant innovations that will lead to a more prepared workforce. Already
through the great work of the Ministry of Education a new system has been put
in place that will hold all students to a national standard of graduation, so
that young people cannot simply pass through the system without gaining the
required basic skills needed to survive in a modern society. The Ministry has
also implemented academic and skills testing in schools to help identify
students who may learn differently from others. This will enable us to use internationally
recognized methodologies to determine what it will take for each individual
child to succeed in school. Training will then be provided to teachers and parents
alike so as to ensure that no child is left behind.
While we are making progress, many of our youth are unprepared
for the working world in terms of attitudes to work. Work ethic is a virtue in
the modern world, and we need new and innovative strategies to ensure that young
persons are engaged, enthusiastic, and strive for excellence in the work they
do. I challenge this group to propose ways to encourage this behaviour and
mindset.
How do we empower young people to find jobs that match
their skills and interests? How do we
strengthen our employment services: both public and private? How do we allow
young people to explore employment opportunities through meaningful internships
and apprenticeships while engaging in formal education? How do we prevent young
people from becoming disengaged from society and the labour force?
These are vital questions for you to consider during the
course of today’s workshop and as we prepare our National Development Plan for
a stronger future.
We are fortunate in that we are a small country. Our challenges are more easily met through
collaboration and sustained effort. We know that we can solve this and build a Stronger
Bahamas.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There are at least 11,000 young people in our country
that need our help today. I am committed to each and every one of them. My
Government is committed to each and every one of them. They are the future of
our country. We cannot fail them.
I wish you a productive workshop over the next two days
and look forward to receiving your ideas and feedback in the days and weeks
ahead
.
Thank you.
[4]
See
https://
sustainabledevelopment.un.org/
/futurewewant.html