Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, Colin Jordan.
Highlighting that there had been approximately 29 000 claims for unemployment processed due to COVID-19 impacts, Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, Colin Jordan expressed his delight at the launch of the Commonwealth of Learning, Coursera Workforce Recovery Programme.
Minister Jordan explained that the initiative, which would provide an opportunity for free courses to those who had lost their jobs and wanted redirect their focus before heading back out into the workforce.
“It allows us at the Ministry of Labour and Social Partnership Relations to partner with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), we are a partner, contributor and so beneficiary of the programs of the Commonwealth and also the partnership that the Commonwealth of Learning has with Coursera.”
As the minister responsible for labour and therefore for work and development, Jordan said he was pleased to offer opportunities like the COL Workforce Recovery Programme. He said he believed that acquiring new skills will be vitally important to face an uncertain future.
“It really underpins how workers will be prepared for what is present and what is ahead of us. While we do not know what is ahead of us, we know that preparation is always important,” said Jordan.
The minister explained that the training would not only give workers who became unemployed as a result of COVID-19, access to the wide range of courses but also highlighted that they were offered by over 200 top institutions Jordan mentioned Stanford University, the University of California and the Johns Hopkins University.
Jordan also remarked that at the beginning of the year, the ministry was discussing that the world of work was changing and there was a need to embrace technology and COVID-19 now had fast track that thinking. On July 15th, the ministry launched the Employability Project giving access to three online courses, initially offered on the national training initiative. These courses offered guidance to help people to become self-employed and also to equip those who would want to work for others, to be better people and employees as they re-enter the job market.
“Being able to partner with the Commonwealth of Learning adds to the programming and the capacity building that we have been engaged in as a ministry,” the minister said.
Jordan outlined the fact that the initiative was in keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and though we were surrounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus must be on moving the country forward. He admitted that the path to the 2030 agenda was going to be tough but the island should not let it be derailed and had to find another path to the same destination.
SDG #4 according to Minister Jordan, speaks of ensuring inclusive, equitable and quality education and promoting life-long learning opportunities for everyone. (AS)