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UPDATE: We must band together to arrest unemployment problem- Hon. Fraser
That was a statement by Honourable Julian Fraser RA, Representative of the Third District, during his address at the commencement of a one-day job and career fair at the Valerie O. Thomas Community Centre in Sea Cows Bay on January 31, 2013.
Hon. Fraser further stated that building on the model set by the Minister for Education and Culture, they rightly thought that their District could benefit directly, and the Territory indirectly. He said that it was no secret his commitment to the long term development of the District, and to his recognition of human capacity being an integral part of that process.
The Third District Representative was loud in his praise to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr. The Hon. Kedrick D. Pickering who made it a priority to be present at the activity and share in the programme by giving remarks, highlighting that his presence meant a lot to the Third District’s Committee, the participants of the fair, and the people of the District.
“Minister, both you and the Minister for Education and Culture have given me your full endorsement of the programme, and for that I thank you. You have also made available to us today the full support of your relevant Departments, and for that I am grateful.”
The job and career fair organized by Honourable Fraser and his team of the Third District started on a high note with Dr. Pickering declaring the event officially open.
The Deputy Premier delivered an inspiring message to the youths present, telling them that they can achieve anything in life but said that it calls for dedication and commitment. He commended Hon. Fraser for the idea of staging the fair and urged youths to make good use of the opportunity that was being afforded to them.
According to Dr. Pickering, he had no hesitation in responding to the request for support and participation in the activity. “An idea doesn’t matter where it originate, an idea no matter the source, a good idea is a good idea it doesn’t matter where it originates,” emphasized Dr. Pickering as he opened his address to the participants of the career and job fair.
Underscoring their relationship and associations over the years, Hon. Pickering said that himself and Hon. Fraser had many battles, “.. and I am sure that we would have many more battles to come.”
“There is a saying that iron sharpens iron and steel sharpens steel and I think that despite we may sit on opposite side of the house we will work hard to build a better country. This is just another one of the building blocks,” said Hon. Pickering.
On a different note, Hon. Pickering said he ould not help but compare the number of young men present in the audience in comparison to the amount that he had observed lining the streets while on his way to the fair. As part of his challenge, he said that seniority must count for something.
“This is what I want you to hear loud and clear that there is something called dignity of man. It means that any human being in this life is worth something. You are something and you can be something.”
Hon. Pickering expressed his deep hurt of the laid back attitude of some youths who seem to lay back and wait for things to happen for them as opposed to going after what they want. “Too many of our young people think that you can get up tomorrow and be something.”
He also admonished that while fast money is the order of the day for a lot of youths it has a sudden pit fall and encouraged that they be aggressive and go after their dreams in a way that safeguards their future and integrity as human beings.
Overwhelmed by the support, given that some seventy eight entities had been contacted and the level of positive responses gained, Hon. Fraser told the participants, "employment empowers" and that there are many underlying factors of having a job but the bottom line is to earn money and it cannot be understated because it is the universal medium for trade.
He also explained that money enables the employee to provide for the basic needs of their families and to provide for and educate their children.
“Society is stretched, people are stressed, and the burden of fixing the problem lies with us. We all have a role to play. Businesses included. Government cannot in good conscience call businesses to forums such as this and expect them to heed a call like ours, noble as it is, and not be prepared to set the climate so it is conducive for businesses to prosper,” said Hon. Fraser.
The Opposition Member also noted that government had removed the tariff once placed on the transportation and insurance for goods imported into the Territory for qualified businesses, and said that he suspects that it will be doing more.
Alluding to some experiences of the President of the United States of America, Barrack H. Obama, Hon. Fraser told the audience, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression as he spoke of the importance of one’s physical appearance to seeking employment and impressing the employer to give you the job. There are no second chances he warned,” Hon. Fraser stated was the advice of President Obama.
Noting that he is no expert in advising on how to get a job, Mr Fraser underscored the importance of the job and career fair as being a solid ground of training before placing. He said that togetherness is a clear indication that things can be successful as he had not envisaged that the activity would have turned out to be what it was when the idea was first birthed by his team members of the Third District.
“I make no secret of my commitment to the long term commitment to the development of my district and to my recognition to human capacity being an integral part of the process,” Hon. Mr Fraser before thanking Hon. Pickering for his support and that of his ministry that led to the successful outcome of the activity.
A young man from the Third District, Rushaw A. Johnson, impressed the audience as he spoke of the importance of the job and career fair to him, its impact on his generation and the efforts of Mr Fraser and team in crafting the idea. He alluded to a pre-workshop, which was held on January 17, 2013 which sought to prepare youths in advance for the activity.
The young man said that while it was understood that the job and career fair was not a guarantee for a job, it gave access to business, captains and industries and access to learn about the Labour Department’s employment registry and even Department of Education’s Alternative Vocational programme.
The unemployed college student said, “While as a young man seeking employment, I am aware that the local economy has slowed down as have economies around the world. This may have resulted in fewer new businesses starting up and long-established businesses are either closing down or contracting, which is to say that they are scaling back their operations.”
See previous article posted on January 31, 2013
Dep. Premier urges youths of Job Fair to be committed
The Job and Career Fair organised by Third District Representative Honourable Julian Fraser RA and his committee started with a bang this morning January 31, 2013 with Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr. the Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering declaring the event officially open.
Dr. Pickering delivered an inspiring message to the youths present telling them that they can achieve anything in life but said that it calls for dedication and commitment.
The Deputy Premier also commended Hon. Fraser for the idea of staging the Fair and urged the youths participating to make good use of the opportunity that was being afforded to them.
According to Dr. Pickering, he had no hesitation in responding to the request for support and participation in the activity, which saw several officials of his Ministry in attendance.
Overwhelmed by the support, given that some seventy five entities had been contacted, and the level of positive responses gained Fraser told the participants, "employment empowers" and that there are many underlying factors of having a job, with the bottom line being to earn money.
See previous story posted on January 31, 2013:
Third District kicks off Job & Career Fair today!
SEA COWS BAY, Tortola, VI – The Valerie O. Thomas Community Centre is set to come alive today, Thursday January 31, 2013 with a hive of activities all designed to give youths, the employed, and those that might be considering a change in career, the opportunity to explore avenues in seeking a career and obtaining a job.
The Career and Job Fair has been organised by Representative for the Third District, Honourable Julian Fraser RA, as one of the activities to empower especially they youths of the district, with the necessary knowledge and guidance when to comes to the matters of jobs and career.
Despite futile efforts to contact Hon. Fraser yesterday January 30, 2013 to ascertain the level of support that has been forthcoming for the job sectors to give some level of commitment to employ participants, residents in the area are optimistic that the activity will be well supported and will see maximum outcome. “Yes we got some serious issues where we young people aint getting jobs, they coming out of school and nothing to do, but ideas like the fair can turn out to be a good idea for them to get work,” said a resident of Sea Cows Bay, who only give her name as Beverly.
The Third District starts from Fort Burt in lower Road Town and includes Sage Mountain and ends at Fort Recovery to the west on Tortola.
According to the Hon. Fraser, in a press release, the objectives of the Job and Career Fair are:
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for businesses in the District to get some valuable exposure,
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advise unemployed persons in the District of human resource requirements and needs, and
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to provide potential training for the jobs available or those that may become available
Hon. Fraser further said that “while this Job and Career Fair was not to guarantee anyone a job, it was however, important to facilitate access for both businesses and potential employees as to what might be available in the District".
He also extended an invitation to all unemployed and underemployed persons in the District to come and interact with the participating businesses on Thursday, January 31, 2013.
There are well over 75 businesses ranging from small to large in the Third District. The Representative, as he prepares to host the Job and Career Fair next week Thursday is requesting that the District’s business community supports the job fair.
Hon Fraser said a number of businesses have already confirmed their participation in the District Job Fair and “I thank them for exercising sound corporate citizenship.”
In addition to the businesses and persons seeking employment, there will be participation from the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Department of Education, and Department of Labour.
The Third District Job and Career Fair is the first of its kind to be held by The District Representative, and is expected to be a continuous event.
For more information, please call 494-0785 or Rajah at 340-1546.
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28 Responses to “UPDATE: We must band together to arrest unemployment problem- Hon. Fraser”
My my look at the pictures and tell me if you see the same people looking for work still att this fair lol and they are for fraser.
To the contrary, your NDP Government came in and cut the Civil Servants Incremnts, took the money that was to stimulate the economy and put it in a Bank Account "Reserve Fund", paid themselves (Ocean Conversion) the rest.
And that is why we have an UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM now.