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THE NATIONAL SUMMER EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME
History of the Summer Employment Programme
The National Summer Employment Programme (NSEP) was initiated under the direction of Reverend Garnet Roper at the First Missionary Church in 1993. The objective of the programme was to provide meaningful employment for inner city youth. Funding for the programme came from the Office of the Prime Minister with a donation of one million dollars. Based on the outstanding results, the newly elected Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson, did not hesitate to commit the NSEP to become an official mainstay in the social landscape of Jamaica.
Reverend Roper envisioned the programme's establishment on a national level, available to youth in both rural and urban communities. His vision became a reality when he was appointed Chairman of the Social Development Commission (SDC) and the programme became one of the community-based initiatives of the institution. At that time, the National Youth Service (NYS) was a part of the SDC and, therefore, was intrinsically involved in the running of the programme; the NYS now operates the programme.
Since the 1990s the programme's budget has been steadily increased, with the year 2002 recording the largest allocation of 50 million dollars. The past two years have had budget allocations of just over 35 million per year.
In 2001 the programme was expanded to meet the needs of tertiary students and since that time the programme has managed to consistently employ over 4,000 young Jamaicans every summer. It is ensured that all who apply are interviewed with the prospect of receiving a summer placement. To date over 19,000 young Jamaicans have benefited from the programme.
Programme Objective
NSEP is geared towards the development young persons, facilitating opportunities to earn valuable work experience and making them more productive and efficient employees.
The Placement Site's Role
The organization is also expected to play a role in the participants' personal development through: Supervision and training, Exposure to varied work processes and Periodic job evaluation. |
