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A recent World Bank virtual event highlighted serious concerns regarding the preparedness of the Caribbean’s youth for the workforce, with half of the surveyed firms feeling that education systems fall short.
The Country/Private Sector Diagnostic survey analyzed responses from 12 Caribbean nations and underscored a significant disconnect between educational outcomes and employer expectations.
The study encompassed nations such as Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago, shedding light on the regional challenges of youth employment and educational efficacy.
In the discussion, Sekou Mark from the International Finance Corporation pinpointed critical gaps in both technical skills, particularly in STEM, and essential soft skills such as teamwork and communication.
Mark proposed a comprehensive approach, including curriculum alignment with job market demands, enhanced career guidance, and policy coordination to cultivate a workforce that can move to where skills are needed.
Meanwhile, Clemente Avila from the World Bank articulated the complex nature of youth employment challenges, indicating that many young people struggle to find meaningful jobs despite the available opportunities, with many roles being merely “subsistent.”
Jamaican graduate Abigail Morgan echoed this sentiment, noting that a lack of experience is a major hurdle for young job seekers.
Lilia Burunciuc from the World Bank stressed the importance of addressing the quality of education, revealing that many students lack access to high-quality schooling when compared to global standards.
We can’t keep blaming the youth if the system not giving them the tools to succeed. Fix the pipeline, not just the output.
Exactly, the youth is not being prepared because the powers that sees our region has being too costly to operate in and thus is not investing or funding initiatives to help the youth. This is why you are finding ppl in Bangladesh and India have skills we don’t have yet they have not even pay the amount what we pay for education. So we are basically in a bad position
Until there’s proper investment in schools and teacher training, we’ll keep falling behind global standards. Curriculum reform is long overdue. Why are we still teaching for exams instead of preparing kids for real life? We need paid internships, mentorships, apprenticeships, something to bridge school and work. Not just lectures.
Honestly, we need more practical learning in schools. Not just textbooks. STEM labs, coding classes and these type of things, that’s where we should be heading.
If we want to fix the problem, it has to start with changing how we teach. Let’s focus more on the future, not just memorizing info for tests.
So true! We spend so much time in theory that by the time we graduate, we have no practical experience to apply what we learned. And in a world where its experience over education. Degree has no say if I don’t have experience.