UTech, Jamaica and Ministry of Labour and Social Security Sign MoU to Promote Labour Market Information System (LMIS)

(L-R) Mrs. Colette Roberts Risden, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Honourable Karl Samuda, Minister of Labour and Social Security and Professor Colin Gyles, Acting President, UTech, Jamaica affix their signatures to a Memorandum of Understanding between the entities on October 23, 2020 to promote the Ministry’s Labour Market Information System. Looking on is Mr. Vando Palmer, Director, Public Relations and Communications, Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

University of Technology, Jamaica and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday, October 23, 2020 to promote the services of the Labour Market Information System (LMIS), an initiative of the Jamaican Government to alleviate unemployment by increasing access to labour market intelligence. The LMIS is a database of qualitative and quantitative information and a job matching facility that is available at no cost to job seekers, employers, researchers and others.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Mrs. Colette Roberts Risden, describing the LMIS as relevant and user-friendly, explained that the database has been integral in providing labour market information that informs curriculum development to ensure that job seekers are being connected to jobs that match their training and skill set.

The Honourable Karl Samuda, Minister of Labour and Social Security, noted at the signing ceremony held at the Ministry’s North Street offices, that the LMIS was one initiative of the Government to overcome the negative impact of the pandemic.

The Minister indicated that collaboration between the private and public sectors and academia was the only way that the economy could be revitalized, through taking steps to safeguard the valuable human capital within the country.

“I’m sure that working as a team in full collaboration with each other, the Ministry and the University will be strengthened enormously and it will redound to the benefit of the growth and development of our country,” the Minister said. Praising UTech, Jamaica for providing intellectual development and practical, hands-on experience, Minister Samuda charged the University to “do all you can to accelerate the pace by which you can train young people to fill vacancies that exist in the country.”

Professor Colin Gyles, Acting President, UTech, Ja. affirmed the University’s commitment to national development, noting that UTech, Jamaica continues to produce skilled graduates who excel in all professional and technical spheres of the labour market. He praised the utility of the labour market facility, underscoring its importance to job seekers, and as a resource to be mined for research, adding that research is an integral part of the University’s operations.

(L-R) Mrs. Colette Roberts Risden, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Mrs. Denise Stephenson-Hammil, Senior Director, Planning and Development, UTech, Ja., the Honourable Karl Samuda, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Professor Colin Gyles, Acting President, UTech, Ja. and Dr. Claire Sutherland, Senior Director, International and Institutional Linkages, UTech, Ja. pose for a photo at the signing of an MoU to promote the Ministry’s Labour Market Information System at the Ministry’s North Street offices on Friday, October 23, 2020.

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Contact:
Michelle Beckford (Mrs.)
Corporate Communications Manager
University of Technology, Jamaica
Telephone: 876 970-5299 
Email: mbeckford@utech.edu.jm