Youth Congress pushes for trade skills development

CNMI’s youngest policy-makers are embarking on plans to establish with the Northern Marianas College a center for trade skills development in a bid to arm local youths with practical know-how in various areas of business.

Members of the 3rd CNMI Youth Congress on Saturday passed the “CNMI Trade School Act of 2001” which aims to support the creation of a trade school with direct supervision from NMC.

The proposed institution is targeted to serve as a venue where youths can advance their skills and knowledge in wood crafting, pottery-making, mental work, auto/aviation mechanics, to name few.

Youth senators believe that with the Northern Marianas’ heavy reliance on human resources to accomplish its economic goals, steps should be taken in order to advance the quality of future members of the local workforce.

“These goals are best attained through the education of its indigent citizens by opening up wider doors of opportunities. We find that while this goal seems noble, it usually suffers from the lack of comment from local leaders who promise better educational opportunities only to retreat when put to the task of addressing and resolving this need,” read the bill.

The initiative introduced by Youth Speaker Angel A. Demapan is specifically aimed at assisting students who, due to certain “quirks of fate,” are unable to pursue the demands required of regular school life.

According to Mr. Demapan, this unintended fate is viewed as a failure although some of those adversely affected are students who are armed with trade skills and can work through hands-on experience in their own special trade.

The piece of legislation also hopes to scrap the stigma associated with school dropouts and develop a more positive image for affected youths in order that they may be able to return to the mainstream CNMI community.

The Youth Congress then proposes that the trade school be merged with the existing Technical Trades courses being offered by CNMI’s lone college.

The youth group is also entirely handing to NMC administration the decision to determine whether a trade school student has completed all the necessary requirements to receive a certificate for the skills he/she has mastered.

“It is the fiduciary duty and moral obligation of the local government to carry out its promise to allow indigent citizens opportunities to learn lifetime skills. Securing lifetime skills almost always guarantees an individual to become contributing and productive member of the CNMI community,” according to youth senators.