YUTE Phase I, 2010 – 2013 – GROUNDBREAKING INCEPTION PHASE
This featured the launch of Jamaica’s largest and most creative initiative to empower unattached youth in troubled communities and to tackle both high youth unemployment and high levels of crime. This was a collaborative effort by members of the Jamaican private sector. It was led by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), headed by its then President Joseph M. Matalon, ICD Group Chairman and future MYF Chairman.
YUTE’s holistic goals were, and still are:
- Improving employability for young people ages 16 – 29 years through skills training and education; Increasing life skills through mentorship and counselling,
- Providing opportunities for gainful employment through work experience, job placements and, later, short-term, paid internships.
By December 2013, 1,616 participants had been enrolled and impacted. More than 2,600 training, coaching and job placement opportunities were provided, as well as 850 employment opportunities. Meanwhile, 514 young people received remedial or pre-skill training, and 383 received skills training. In addition, 470 participants received entrepreneurship training, and 80 at-risk youth received intensive social interventions. During Phase I, more than 600 volunteer mentors were recruited and trained. Of these, 533 were matched with participants, and the mentor/protégé relationships were managed.
