In a shocking statement Dr. Merritt Henry, manager for student services and development, placement and career services at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, declared that: “… We are preparing job seekers with skills and competencies that are demanded, but not enough…there is a disconnect between what the employers would want to have and what secondary and tertiary institutions are sending out…but it is not that we are not preparing these persons,” This statement was captured during the Jamaica Observer's Monday Exchange, which took place on February 20, 2017, held at the Observer's Kingston headquarters. She was among a team of representatives from the Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE) Limited, who spoke on the issue of whether the education system is equipping youth job seekers with the skills demanded by employers.
