By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The National Training Agency (NTA) boasts a 55 percent job placement rate, a Cabinet minister has revealed, with nearly 6,000 Bahamians trained over the past year.

Dion Foulkes, Minister of Labour, told the Senate: "The NTA continues to effectively carry out its mandate of workforce development and job placement for the most vulnerable and those unprepared for the workforce.

"There has been an intentional focus at the NTA over the last year on improving quality assurance and delivery systems, expanding skills offerings, digitising overall processes for greater efficiency, and increasing the number of qualified skill workers and their access to employment.

"The agency remains the leader in soft skills and competency-based training in The Bahamas, offering more than 18 units in employability skills and job readiness, and 16 technical skills, including nine that lead to international certification.

"Some 532 young Bahamians have been trained in soft skills, and certified in various skills, over the last year with the total number of young Bahamians trained at more than 5,800. Our overall job placement rate at the agency is 55 percent."

The NTA is currently conducting a pre-apprenticeship training programme for 164 Bahamians under its skills for current and future jobs programme. It is also using an online training platform called Brightspace.