By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Opposition’s finance spokesman yesterday said it was “disingenuous” for the Christie administration to tout its $20 million apprenticeship programme as something different than the 52-week job programme launched by the former Ingraham administration, and which it had heavily criticised.

K. Peter Turnquest, the east Grand Bahama MP, told Tribune Business: “The reality is that there is no difference with this programme.

“They borrowed a tremendous amount of money for the National Training Agency, which amounts to nothing more than the 52-week job programme that they criticised heavily in the last administration. It had a classroom component, preparing people with job skills and on-the-job training.”

He added: “This program,me this National Training Agency and this new internship, is nothing more than the same programme. It’s very disingenuous of them. It’s nothing new and they ought to be ashamed of themselves because if, in fact, it was a good programme under the last administration, and they want to retain it, they should just say so.

“The PLP had  heavily criticised this initiative and later cancelled it, with Prime Minister Perry Christie saying in 2012 that some people who were paid under the 52-week job plan did not show up for work.”

During his 2016-2017 Budget contribution on Wednesday, Mr Christie said youth unemployment remains a ‘grave concern’ for his administration.

“This is an issue that must be attacked on multiple fronts, beginning with education reform to ensure that young persons leave school with the range of hard and soft skills needed to be successful in the job market,” he said.

“For those already in the job market and unemployed, we must deploy resources to the building of skills and increasing employability. To that end, in the last budget we allocated $20 million for apprenticeship and training programmes for our at-risk unemployed youth.”

Mr Christie added: “Under a jointly-funded agreement between the Government and Grand Bahama Shipyard, the latter will increase the intake of its apprenticeship programme for skilled trades to 40 per year, of which roughly three quarters will be trade apprentices and one quarter technical/commercial apprentices.

“These will be high school graduates in the 17-19 year age group. Over the next 10 years, Grand Bahama Shipyard plans to recruit and train 400 skilled Bahamian workers into permanent full-time positions. For its semi-skilled trades, Grand Bahama Shipyard plans to recruit and train 200 Bahamians in the 25-40 year age group over the next two years.

“The trades involved are blasters/painters, riggers and scaffolders. At the end of the training period, the trainees will be assessed and certified by external, US examiners and will then work alongside experienced workers for a six-12 month period to become fully proficient in their respective trades.”