00:00 Service level agreements have been signed to equip 100 nationals between the ages of 16 and 35
00:07 with skills and training in animal food production,
00:10 cultivation of aquatic organisms in a controlled environment
00:14 and the knowledge of running cooperative companies.
00:17 It's being facilitated through a partnership between the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service,
00:23 Caribbean Fisheries Training and Development Institute
00:26 and the Cypriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies.
00:30 Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Narine Charan states that
00:34 it is a critical time in the country's push for sustainable development.
00:38 These service level agreements stand as a platform of progress,
00:44 a blueprint of innovation and a covenant of trust between the government and the next generation.
00:54 One student, Dylan Chady, says he learned how to handle fish from the hatching stages
00:58 all the way to production and getting them into the hands of the retail market.
01:02 We have to reduce the food import bill.
01:04 So that was one of the main things that my DNS had told us when we had now inserted it into the program.
01:11 According to Chairman of CFTDI, Nerissa Lucky,
01:15 her organization is the leading provider in the country for maritime and fisheries training
01:20 as well as seafood technology
01:22 and she calls the relationship with the MyDNS a strategic one that helps to carry out their mandates.
01:28 Our fin fish handling, processing and preservation courses
01:32 promote compliance with food safety regulations and standards.
01:35 They comply with the Codex Alimentarius,
01:38 a collection of internationally recognized standards, guidelines and codes of practice
01:43 aligned to the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
01:46 She says CFTDI caters to people with different backgrounds including fisher folk, entrepreneurs,
01:52 managers, employees of fish processing businesses, etc.
01:56 Adding that in 2023, 296 students were trained.
02:02 According to Lucky, the partnership is aimed towards reducing the food import bill by 25% by the year 2025.
02:11 Our collaboration will enhance national development strategies including empowerment of coastal communities,
02:17 youths and marginalized groups by providing opportunities for alternative income generating activities
02:23 and viable business development.
02:25 Director of Cipriani Labour College, Andrew Vincent Henry states that
02:29 a current study undertaken by the college through the Caribbean Development Bank
02:33 has found that young people in this country and the Caribbean are "disadvantaged in the world of work".
02:40 He further cites international labour organization statistics singling out the Caribbean
02:45 as having one of the highest levels in the world of unemployment among the youth
02:49 and young women being even more disadvantaged.
02:53 Every day I grieve at the increasing crime.
02:58 I drive on my way home and I see the vulnerability of young people
03:05 and I see the parasites who are taking advantage of these young people
03:13 and pulling them into what we call the dark economy.
03:16 Henry says training for young people who can go out and create opportunities by becoming employers is very important.
03:23 Students who complete the program are being encouraged to form a cooperative,
03:28 running a business that is jointly owned.
03:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments