The Tribune

THERE seems to be a global conversation about the plight of youth and employment. The Bahamas seems to be no exception, as the highest concentration of unemployed persons are aged between 15 and 24 years-old. Perhaps the cause for greatest concern is the fact that many of these unemployed youths find themselves in the unemployable category, meaning they lack even the basic competencies to secure employment, or their police record is so tarnished that they are viewed as completely scarred from a tender age.

Many employers are beginning to relax their screening and sourcing position, realising how unfair it is to hold young people accountable for their earlier actions. The question, then, is what reasons do we give to businesses to allow second chances for youths with criminal records. Here is our effort to convince the Bahamas to move towards embracing a forgiving spirit for those reformed young people among us looking to make their contribution:

1. Our workforce population is far too small for us not to allow thousands of youths (our young men, in particular) into the mainstream for the errors of their past. With a growing retirement population, Baby Boomers are going to have great difficulty with social services benefits if we are not quick to employ larger numbers of young people in reputable establishments.

2. The country is too small to have so many vagrant youths milling about. The old adage reminds us that the devil finds work for idle hands. Our crime statistics only worsen when we bar young people from productive work and keep them on the fringes of society, playing the hustle game. Most of these young people want to secure employment and, while they work through their emotional issues, they need encouragement to lift them on the right path.

3. This grouping represents the millennial generation that accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the world’s current workforce. They are therefore the ‘movers and shakers’ in today’s marketplace, and it is simply unwise to neglect them. They are the technologically-advanced team members that we need to bring us all along into the fast-paced modern era.

4. We typically encourage young people with criminal records to view the world of entrepreneurship as a viable option for making their way back into society. We tell them that they should cut a new path since it will be next-to-impossible to find employment with such a record. The sad truth is that most are incapable of maintaining any sole proprietorship, and we are simply setting them up for failure.

5. Many of these young people got caught in illegal behaviour during their impressionable years, and should not suffer for the mistake they made as juveniles for rest of their lives. Perhaps what we should consider is the fact that the youths we are holding hostage are the ones who got caught, while there are many others who were perhaps able to evade law enforcement, but are just as hardened and vile as those apprehended. We must embrace the spirit of second chance for our children who, in their years of foolish living, did foolish things. The message we must convey is that redemption is possible.

• NB: Ian R. Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organsations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@coralwave.com.