ATTORNEY GENERAL ADRIEL BRATHWAITE believes many people can be empowered through job opportunities being generated within their own communities.
During a meeting of the St Philip South Constituency Council at the Princess Margaret Secondary School last Sunday, he said this was one of several strategies which would be used in his constituency to utilise the talents of young people.
Using farming as one of several examples, Brathwaite said there were many people in his constituency who made a “decent living” from that discipline. He added there was no reason why the council could not spend some money to encourage young people to take up farming.
He also pointed to some of his constituents who also made a living as tailors and who produced high quality apparel for both men and women.
“There is no reason why we could not go to two or more of them and identify two or three young people and say: ‘We will give these young people a stipend if you work with them’,” Brathwaite said.
The St Philip South MP urged the council to find creative ways during the year to teach young people more skills. He said if this were done the number of people who went seeking employment from others would simultaneously decrease.
He suggested that the council encourage people in and outside the constituency to use the skills of the young people who lived in St Philip South.
But, he added, it was vital that the skills of residents be identified by the council so they may be referenced to others.
Brathwaite noted that while there were skilled people living in the constituency, they might be lacking in marketing and promotional skills and therefore it was incumbent on the council to assist people in this area.
“Let us move our focus this year away from the normal things that we are expected to do in any event, and let us move our focus into areas where we can create more employment opportunities for our young people,” he said.
Council members fielded questions from constituents about a range of issues, including road works and housing, and also reported on some of the achievements over the past year and plans for the coming year.
