00:00With programs like MyLAT and MyPAD being shut down and others like the Civilian Conservation Corps under review,
00:08Minister of Tertiary Education Professor Prakash Persad reports what he says is a pretty high number of unproductive youth in
00:16Trinidad and Tobago.
00:18The number of young people, not in education, not in training, not in employment in Trinidad is about 15.8%,
00:25which is pretty high.
00:27It's better in the Caribbean, but it's still high, so YTEP will be reaching out to them and provide certified
00:33training so they can move upwards.
00:35The minister says the goal is to provide this demographic with skills with which they can become self-sustainable.
00:42We want to look at that, but they can quickly get sort of employment, especially on their own.
00:47So things like cooking, right, things like we're looking at a variety of things like maid services, right.
00:53And it's not that it's a lower level, but if you look at the U.S., for instance, the requirement
00:59for people to help in your house.
01:02But we call them probably household engineers, if you want to use that term.
01:05It's a big demand, similar here.
01:07So we need to have, so people, we give training, not to look for a job that you can start,
01:12you know, earning money on your own.
01:14Things like, and this is just a summer, not all, a landscape, sort of technicians.
01:20The other ones like plumbing and electrical supply, we do that also.
01:23But they're being certified so they can go to higher levels to earn higher jobs.
01:26So these are new things that are being introduced?
01:29No, no, some are existing, right.
01:32Some were shuttered, as you said.
01:34We're trying to bring them back up.
01:35And new ones we're looking at also.
01:37The minister confirms that there has been a steady decline in tertiary level enrollment over the years.
01:43He says many employers want employees who are ready to work.
01:48And as such, there must be a heavier focus on practical training.
01:53Well, as you pointed out, there's a slight drop.
01:57So we want to refocus that and say that part of the education must be skills traded.
02:02And to do that, what we're doing, we're having more and more at the university level students do projects in
02:08industry to gain practical experience.
02:10And for the industry to look at them also and judge them if they want them or not.
02:15So it's a win-win for both sides.
02:17The minister also gave an update on the U.South campus.
02:21Refinition, to put that term, right.
02:24Contracts are being awarded now.
02:26To finish what we need, what we determine needs to be finished.
02:29What is going to be offered there, the prime minister and the cabinet will dictate to us what needs to
02:34be offered there.
02:35And that hasn't been decided yet.
02:37What type of timeline is it going to happen?
02:40Well, hopefully we're looking, trying to finish the campus by September.
02:46Professor Persaud was speaking at two YTEP MOU signings.
02:50Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
02:53We still have a lot more ideas for you to run情況.
02:54You're wondering if we've got to engage with you on the way.
02:56When you're looking for your plug, we're looking for your program.
02:56If you look for us now on the way, they don't go to be ready, we're going to go ahead
02:56with you on the way.
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