The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s Youth Division launched its 2024 Spring Session of the Fresh Start Program at Christ the King Education Center on January 25, 2024.

The Fresh Start Program was initiated in 1999 and is one of the signature programs of the MYSC geared towards providing unemployed youth between the ages of 18 to 25 with soft skills training and a certification in a trade or vocational area.

Additionally, the program presents participants with opportunities to gain other certifications such Bahamahost, First Aid, and Safety and Health (OSHA) training.  Fresh Start is a well-rounded training initiative that has been proven to boost the emotional and academic confidence of participants while molding them to be employable.

Youth Program Coordinator Carla Brown-Roker revealed that the Spring 2024 program attracted 129 applicants which was narrowed down to 50.

The four-month program includes three months of skills training at one of two tertiary level institutions and one month of workplace internship.

“We are offering IT fundamentals and general maintenance, which consists of carpentry, electrical and plumbing. Those are the two trades that will be facilitated by Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute.

“We are also offering medical or healthcare, which includes pharmaceutical care as an assistant in that facility, and phlebotomy. We are also offering the pre-school aide and those are being facilitated by Bahamas Institute of Business and Technology,” Brown-Roker added.

It is the ministry’s endeavor to ensure that the Fresh Start graduates receive gainful employment, particularly in the area they were trained.

A banker, mechanical maintenance technician, and customer service representative -- all former graduates of the program -- were special guest speakers at the orientation and shared their experiences in the program, which they say helped steer them on their career path.