Over 8,000 seek jobs; govt runs skill development programs

The National Career Service has begun running training programs to develop the skills of thousands of young Maldivian job seekers.

In an interview to Public Service Media (PSM) on Wednesday, Deputy Minister for Higher Education Shaheeda Ali said that over 8,000 individuals are registered with the ministry’s portal in search of jobs.

Shaheeda said that some school graduates do not possess the skills needed to start working or have even decided on the career they wish to pursue.

She said the ministry has been collaborating with employers to conduct apprenticeship programs.

“The youth need to learn the skills they need to pursue the career of their choice. We have been conducting skills programs based on this,” she said.

Shaheeda said that there are some 300 spots open from across the Maldives for such programs.

Data collected by the National Bureau of Statistics show that 19 percent of the youth population in the Maldives are unemployed. This includes 5,672 men and 4,744 women.