Dr Rosalea Hamilton (left), vice-president at the University of Technology, greets Mark Linehan (right), CEO of Digicel Jamaica, while Winston Adams (second left), University College of the Caribbean (UCC) executive chairman and president; Dr Alison Cross, UCC's vice-president of academic and student affairs; and Minister of Education Andrew Holness look on during yesterday's signing of a memorandum of understanding between Digicel and local universities at UCC's New Kingston headquarters. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Minister of Education Andrew Holness is endorsing an apprenticeship and mentorship programme, forged by telecommunications company Digicel in partnership with four of Jamaica's leading universities.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding by Digicel, the University of the West Indies, Northern Caribbean University, the University of Technology and the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) took place yesterday at the UCC's New Kingston headquarters.

Graduates can now expect to benefit from the programme through a series of mentorship initiatives that will formally complement students education with relevant work experience.

Work experience

Holness said the scheme would bridge the development of students from the classroom to the workplace. He also spoke of the development of a mentorship and apprenticeship programme for 16 to 18-year-olds, which would seek to train post-secondary students with skills and work experience.

"We aim to ensure that those young people that are leaving high school at 16 can be caught in a programme, trained and then paired with firms to gain experience ... to ensure there is a seamless articulation between education and the world of work," he said.

Carol Reid, head of human resources at Digicel Jamaica, said the pilot programme, which took place last year, hosted more than 80 students, and later recruited seven persons in permanent positions.

Reid noted that the partnership would benefit all parties involved as students would receive "a keener sense of where they fit in the real world" and the organisation would benefit from "fresh eyes".

True value

She said: "The students are so vibrant and fresh and they are eager to learn and want to succeed. So you get true value from the students and you end up with a pool of employable individuals."

Students undertaking studies in the field of finance, marketing, accounting and physics, among other disciplines, would be eligible for scholarships and bursaries under the programme.

Professor Rosalea Hamilton, vice-president for UTech, told The Gleaner the partnership with Digicel was an extension of the work the university has been doing in recent years.