With youth unemployment still relatively high, the Free National Movement’s Torchbearers Youth Association (TYA) President Carlyle Bethel believes it’s now time to approach the problem in a different way, which he said the Minnis administration is doing. 

“The youth unemployment numbers have historically been high and it’s been a challenge for successive governments,” Bethel said.

“I think what the government is doing is they’re approaching it from a different angle this time and that is not just trying to provide short term jobs [in] the 52 week programme, but they are trying to build skills among young people so that even if they happen to not be able to find a job they can still get a job and complete a job and complete a task and do it well and have a long term sustainable form of income.

“And, so I think that those signs and those things will pay off in the long run and I think that’s very encouraging for us.”

When asked about the overall decrease in unemployment figures, the TYA president credited the government with doing much to diversify not just employment for young people, but building young entrepreneurs.

“When we look at the labour numbers, we would have seen that the recent numbers would have shown that unemployment is at its lowest in 10 years.  With that being said, the government is doing a lot to diversify not just employment for young people, but to build entrepreneurs throughout the country,” Bethel said.    

“We see the implementation of programmes like the Small Business Development Center, the Be Your Own Boss Scholarship, at BTVI, which helps those students who graduate BTVI with trades to then start their own business in their particular trade. 

“So, all these things combined together are what I believe is contributing to the decrease in the unemployment numbers to its lowest in 10 years. 

“That’s very encouraging for us.  I think it’s very encouraging for the country and I think it shows exactly the good that the government is doing.”

The TYA president said these are signs that will pay off in the long run as more and more people are focused and interested in entrepreneurship, education and employment. 

The TYA heads into a two-day youth convention today and Friday.