YUTE Annual Report 2014

MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER
Pleased with the level of growth
and impact of the programme
Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE),
established in 2010 to fulfil a need in inner-city
communities has grown into a successful
national programme.
The Most Honourable
Portia Simpson Miller ON, MP
With the full support of the
Government of Jamaica and the
private sector, YUTE has
expanded into a public-private
partnership initiative that
is stimulating the sustained
development of our country.
They are being armed with the
requisite knowledge and confidence
to venture into entrepreneurship
as a means of meeting the
demands in the marketplace
and creating financial security
for themselves and their families.
During the last year, a total of
311 young men and women
benefitted from various initiatives
implemented by YUTE. This is
a positive step and a testament
to the success of the
programme so far.
As the saying goes, “you give a
man a fish and you feed him for a
day; teach a man to fish and you
feed him for a lifetime” - I am
heartened that the YUTE
programme is enabling our
youth to fend for themselves and
to achieve their greatest potential.
As we look back on the
achievements attained over the
last year, I am pleased to see the
level of growth and impact the
programme has had on young lives.
Through mentorship and skills
training, our young people are
being suitably prepared for a
competitive job market.
I am delighted to note that the
Government’s injection of $32 million,
through the National Housing
Trust (NHT), into phase two of
the YUTE Build Programme, has
benefitted many young Jamaicans.
It is our duty to ensure that our
young people are employable
and this public-private sector
partnership programme is
achieving this by giving them a
meaningful opportunity to
upgrade their existing skills set,
in response to the demands in
the labour market. Indeed, we
are empowering them to
become productive members of
society.
I therefore commend everyone who
has contributed to YUTE including
the private sector, non-governmental
organisations, faith-based organisations,
the NHT, and other state agencies,
for working together to make the
programme a success. I look
forward to the further strengthening
of the initiative in 2015 and to
seeing hundreds more of our
young people empowered and
employed.
Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, ON, MP
Prime Minister
YUTE ANNUAL REPORT | JANUARY 2014 - DECEMBER 2014 1