Letter of the Day | Redefine what skills mean for Ja’s youth
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Participants in the Jamaica Red Cross's National Youth Rally 2025 being assessed in First Aid by Red Cross first aiders, Messrs Michael Gordon and Cecil Redway. First aid is considered an essential life skill by the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement, and should be accessible to all. As such, it is introduced to youth link members as early as the primary level.
THE EDITOR, Madam:
On July 15, the world observes World Youth Skills Day. This year’s theme, “Skills for a Shared Future,” could not be more relevant for Jamaica.
The statistics are sobering. The International Labour Organization estimates that 65 million young people were unemployed worldwide in 2023, while the United Nations reports that roughly 450 million youth are economically disengaged because they lack skills demanded by the labour market. In Jamaica, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica’s latest Labour Force Survey placed youth unemployment at 11.7 per cent in April 2026, with young women disproportionately affected. Earlier ILO-supported research also found that nearly three in 10 Jamaican youth are neither employed nor engaged in education or training.
The challenges facing young people became even more evident after Hurricane Melissa. The Category 5 storm, which struck in October 2025, damaged or destroyed about 450 schools and disrupted learning for hundreds of thousands of students. For many, it was a test of resilience, adaptability, first-aid knowledge, and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
That experience highlights why the Jamaica Red Cross believes the definition of “skills” must extend beyond employability alone. Through our Youth Links in Schools Programme, students learn CPR, first aid, disaster preparedness, humanitarian values, and civic responsibility. These are practical life skills that help young people protect themselves, support their families, and strengthen their communities.
Our School of Transformation in Clarendon advances this mission through mentorship, psychosocial support, literacy and numeracy assistance, and creative programmes. Before the pandemic, a companion campus also offered barbering and cosmetology training–income-generating opportunities we hope to restore and expand.
While the United Nations rightly highlights competencies in artificial intelligence, green technology, and digital innovation, humanitarian and psychosocial skills are equally important. The future workforce will need technical expertise, but it will also need empathy, leadership, adaptability, and resilience.
On this World Youth Skills Day, let us recognise that skills for a shared future are not only about preparing young people for jobs. They are also about preparing them for life. Together, we can build a stronger, more compassionate, and more resilient Jamaica.
Adrian Reid
Cash and Voucher Assistance
& Youth Officer
Jamaica Red Cross