“Equip, Empower, Engage” – Career Exposition reaches over 1500 students | United Nations Development Programme Jamaica

Feb 9 2011

Choosing a career path is a crucial moment in everyone's lives, many mistakes can be made in the absence of a proper orientation. Offering practical help to identify the interests and the areas people have an aptitude for may improve their life. Exposing children to career paths enables them to make informed choices and see a wide array of possibilities for their work life.

In Jamaica, HelpAge International and Hope for Children Development Company put this lesson into action through a Joint Career Exposition for High School Students, an important milestone in one of the three Jamaican projects funded through the EC-UN Joint Migration for Development Initiative (EU-UN JMDI), for which UNDP Jamaica acts as a focal point. The project Mitigating the Negative Impact of Migration on the Multi-generational household in Jamaica has the objective to reduce the negative impact of migration on multi-generational households (MGHs) in Jamaica by increasing access to information, services and entitlements and reducing socio-economic exclusion, especially of the families left behind.

The Inaugural Joint Career Exposition was held at St. Andrew Technical High School in Kingston on January 21 2011. Under the theme "Equip, Empower, Engage" over 1500 students from 9 High Schools actively participated in the featured career sessions. A rich interaction across age groups, as students, teachers and parents has taken place. The target schools were St. Andrew Technical High, Charlie Smith High, Haile Selassie High, Trench Town High, Norman Manley High, Tivoli Gardens High, Whitfield All Age, Greenwich All Age, and Denham Town High. 35 students from The Young Women's Christian Association also participated. The students were able to network, exchange ideas and discover more opportunities together through 10 featured career sessions:

Resumé Writing
Job Interview
Personal grooming for MEN
Personal grooming for LADIES
The Labour Market
Dining and Etiquette
Successfully Young & Proud
Taxes 101
Educational Videos
"Choosing the Right Career For you." - Provision of career package which includes a copy of The Career Key (self assessment test) and a copy of CHOICES Career & Education Magazine for each participant.

During the Inaugural Launch remarks were followed by different brilliant students' theatrical and singing performances supported by the National Youth Orchestra. Executive Director of Hope for Children Development Company, Richard Troupe, expressed pleasure at the success of the event, stating " we are committing for this to be the first of an annual event, [...] this is too good an activity not to continue".

In her remarks, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Ms Akiko Fujii; remarks were made on behalf of the Delegation of The European Union by Mrs. Helen Jenkinson, Head of Economics Development Section; Mr Jeff James Regional Representative HelpAge International; Mr. Richard Troupe Executive Director Hope for Children Development Company; Ms Lorna Leslie Councilor for the Denham Town Division, West Kingston.

Mr. Clement Radcliffe, Deputy Chief Education Officer, was guest speaker at the Ceremony, and together with Mrs. Helen Jenkinson, cut a ribbon to symbolically declare the Exposition open.

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