Jobless graduants – what are they to do?

By Paul Andrew Bourne, MSc. (pending); BSc. (Hons) Demography


Many tertiary graduants come August 31 and-or September 1 2004 will add more numbers to the labour supply stock of Jamaica without having an opportunity to get a job. Although the quality of our labour supply will be improved significantly by the outputs of the tertiary institutions, many lending organization chief among them is the Students' Loan Bureau will be demanding a pound of flesh from those individuals. In that, some persons are told the sums payable prior to landing a job within the context of a shrinking economy and high unemployment. Hence, the question of "What are they to do?" is fitting and justifiable at this time.

The PNP administration has been in office for over a decade and so "What are the graduants to do come September 1, 2004?" In that, many individuals must begin repaying their loan short afterwards, lives must be lived, families will be disappointed and more so graduants will be highly frustrated from the actuality of having pursued further studies without the possibility of jobs.

I am appealing to the intellects of great men who are rulers of this country, to quick institute a plan to tackle the social reality of jobless of countless Jamaicans before any further state of social upheaval.