Ambitious “YES” plan would potentially address multiple labour concerns at once
HAMILTON, BERMUDA — The government has revealed an ambitious plan to ensure more high-paying jobs in Bermuda are filled by qualified residents.
This plan specifically targets young Bermudians, with a view to tackle youth unemployment while also addressing long-standing labour market challenges.
In fact, Bermuda’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES) aims to ensure residents receive relevant training to fill future job and skills gaps, starting with research into the areas this can best be achieved.
Bermuda Minister of Labour Jason Hayward.
Minister of the Economy and Labour Jason Hayward, announcing the initiative, underscored, “A strong economy hinges upon people having the skills they need to secure meaningful, well-paid work.
“The flagrant consequences of youth unemployment highlights the importance of making good job options available for our young people.”
As such, the minister pledged that his government is “making a deliberate effort to target and upskill our youth as they will play a vital part in the workforce in the coming years.”
“Our goal is to position them to secure employment opportunities,” he emphasized.
Study to align training with job opportunities
Minister Hayward explained that the first step to ensuring residents secure better jobs in Bermuda is undertaking a study into the labour market.
Bermuda's government wants to ensure young workers are adequately skilled to fill job gaps.
This research, he said, will help to ensure the training made available for residents will facilitate a direct pathway to employment in a high-earning field.
As such, a group will “analyze labour market data to ensure training opportunities align with current and future demands.”
“Goal #1 of the strategy…is to increase local training opportunities and promote pathways to securing employment,” Hayward said.
He added, “To ensure relevant training and education opportunities are available locally, the group will perform analysis…to identify high-demand occupations and professions with low Bermudian participation.”
Further, Hayward said one of the key objectives will be to “identify the need for entry-level jobs.”
However, he noted that all of the steps involved in the YES strategy “strive to ensure that young Bermudians are suitably qualified and positioned to take advantage of job opportunities within the local labour market.”
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