The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

COLLECTIVELY, we have been talking and hashing about youth unemployment for what seems like eons. It is recognised by all, even the crazy individual, that our basic educational structure is dysfunctional and barely working.

Annually, the system spews out thousands of semi-illiterate and badly socialised ‘graduates’. In six out of ten cases, they have absolutely no marketable or job skills.

I understand that there are so-called ‘business clubs’ at most of our New Providence-based high schools. In particular, I must commend the Principal at Aquinas College (where my daughter, Jasmine, is a senior), Shona Moss-Knowles, and her team on doing an excellent job at that august institution. Other students have little or no access to the real world of business, commerce and finance. The rest are not checking for academics, much less higher education.

The Progressive Liberal Party is to be commended on at least ‘trying’ to fix or patch up a broken and outdated educational plant. The hard working and grossly underpaid teachers and educators are not, I understand, being motivated and utilised in a cohesive manner. They are ‘first responders’, the ones who ‘know’ what should be done to make the system more relevant, but we continue to import foreign expertise and we continue to witness, in rainbow colours, the dreaded national ‘D’.

The recent upgrades at BTVI and proposed expansions bode well for technical and vocational training. The fee structure and the diversity of hands on courses, however, must be addressed in the immediate future. It is no point in offering a course at a fee level that the average student and his/her financial backers are often unable to meet.

That institution, however, is chaired by my good friend and patriot, Felix Stubbs. If there is one Bahamian who is dedicated to nation building, besides me, it has to be Felix. He is a retired executive with IBM, a long time business entrepreneur and mentor. Felix wears so many hats that he should be knighted for his invaluable and diversified multi services to a grateful nation.

Selected students with the right aptitude and attitude should be identified in the tenth grade as to their natural talents that may be honed and developed over the next two years of their high school education. In the eleventh year qualified students could undergo an apprenticeship furlough with an established and properly vetted business or professional firm. The government of the day would offer tax credits or other exemptions of a monetary nature to such private enterprise and owners.

This would be a situation where we all win. Students get an opportunity to network and to match their talents with real everyday experiences and exposure. Business owners get an opportunity to observe and train apprentices in their discipline and have eventual access to a solid and qualified labour pool for the future.

My good friend and brother, Lewis Astwood of Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama, first proposed this apprenticeship programme a few years ago, just as the PLP came to power. He would have done extensive research and submitted his findings to various newly minted ministers and to the Cabinet itself. As is the usual case with our erstwhile home grown politicians, they are loath to give credit to Astwood, who himself is another staunch PLP.

The PLP must concentrate on job creation and inject real and sustainable economic stimulus directly into the economy and financial markets. The so-called Downtown Development Authority is a waste of time. I am not too sure if it is a waste of money because no one has informed us of its mandate, personnel and, for sure, budget. Many cities have a well defined and promoted downtown. Bay Street, our traditional downtown, is a waste land and has become zombified .

The administration is allegedly waiting for the Chinese to do the heavy lifting as it relates to Bay Street. I would hope not. If we continue to rely on the injection of foreign direct investment from the People’s Republic of China, there is the possibility of a severe political backlash in the 2017 general elections. It is my strong suggestion that any further development/redevelopment along Bay Street be driven by consortiums of Bahamian business people and or a public/private sector partnership.

Once we get Bay Street up and running again, the proposed apprentice programme could go ahead full speed. Statistics indicate that more than 30 per cent of Bahamians under the age of 35 are unemployed, never been sustainably employed or are underemployed. This is also politically and financially explosive. More so, however, societal dislocations and cultural morass would be just around the proverbial corner.

Crime and unemployment, in many cases go hand in hand. These are the two most pressing matters which must be addressed now by the Gold Rush Administration. We have absolutely no more time to waste. Our economy has grown at the dismal and unacceptable rate of less than 0.5 per cent over the past four years on an annual basis.

Obviously, Michael Halkitis (PLP-Golden Isles) is doing the best that he is able but that, alas, is not enough. We are facing some serious international credit downgrades in the next few weeks. How will he and the substantive minister deal with this? We have to do better. Matching a job skills training programme along with a real apprentice thrust is the way to go.

To God then, even in this, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE JR.

Nassau,

July 17, 2016.