The Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme (YTEPP) Limited and the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) are collaborating to help fill the skills gap in the manufacturing sector.
The venture has resulted in a two-year agreement between the two bodies to deliver training programmes aimed at preparing young people for careers in the manufacturing sector.
Chairman of YTEPP Limited, Dr. Maurice Jones, described the linking of the training institution with the TTMA as a national development intervention.
He said the two entities will be working to improve the skills of segments of the local labour force.
“We see this memorandum of cooperation as a means that would open new pathways for collaboration between our two organisations. Pathways that will lead to upskilling, entrepreneurship, and employment creation across the manufacturing sector.”
TTMA CEO, Ramesh Ramdeen, said the non-energy manufacturing sector in Trinidad and Tobago is the second largest employer, after the Government, directly employing close to 60,000 people.
“We need to work and collaborate and build capacity in the area of labour. The factors of production are land, labour, capital, and entrepreneurship. Labour is a key component. There has been a deficiency in the skill set of the labour force in Trinidad and Tobago. Our productivity levels have been dropping. Manufacturers have been trying innovative ways to work on those challenges. Robotisation, machines, buying new machines, upskilling, but we cannot ignore the importance of labour.”
Acting CEO of YTEPP Limited, Montgomery Guy, said the signing of the agreement was a significant chapter in the institution’s long history of partnerships with industry stakeholders.
“Only recently we forged an important exploratory engagement with meaningful discussions with the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago to not only meet the workforce development needs of the energy sector but also to bring vocational education and training to fence-line communities. This initiative seeks to equip residents with entrepreneurial skills, empowering them to create their own economic opportunities.”