The Ministry of Labour is offering free training opportunities to persons who have lost their jobs in recent weeks.

Soft loans are also being made available to persons who have been sent home and who want to start small businesses with their redun-dancy payments.

"We are putting it to the workers; come with your redundancy money. We will send you to the ministry (Industry, Investment and Commerce) with (Karl) Samuda to sit with them. We will lend them some money to start a small business with some of the money they have," Labour Minister Pearnel Charles declared on the prime minister's monthly call-in programme 'Jamaica House Live' on Wednesday.

Dual training

According to Charles, the labour ministry's training programme would leave participants with more than one skill.

"We first want you to know that you will not be able to go back to the job with one skill ... HEART is willing and is ready to train that skilled worker in other areas," Charles added.

He said his ministry was offering the traditional classroom training, as well as on-the-job opportunities.

"This training has started. We are doing some in the ministry and where persons have switched from where they were to other jobs," the labour minister said.

Charles said the ministry had also established a skills bank where persons who had lost their jobs could submit their résumés, which would be placed on the ministry's database and be made available for prospective employers.

Just under 13,000 persons have been dismissed from their jobs since last October as local companies react to the global economic meltdown.

Easy way out

This is a major concern for Charles who remains adamant that local com-panies were taking the easy way out by cutting jobs at the first sign of trouble.

"The workers, through their unions, have said keep us on the job, we are prepared to do any of the following, keeping the job going with lower pay, give up some of our benefits, shorter working week and lower pay. But we at the Ministry of Labour are not satisfied that the management has taken up the challenge of the workers," he said.

According to Charles, the labour ministry has offered companies the chance to discuss the problems they were facing to arrive at solutions which do not include cutting staff.

"This is a time to invest in workers at a lower rate than they used to charge. The workers will stay on, will learn an additional skill and will be ready for any upturn," Charles added.

Those who are interested in training opportunities can call the Ministry of Labour and Social Security:922-9500-14.