By LEDEDRA MARCHE

Senior FN Reporter

lededra@nasguard.com

With $14.6 million budgeted for the government's temporary jobs program, Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing said the lives of hundreds in Grand Bahama alone will be impacted.

Approximately 2,500 jobs will be birthed out of the scheme that will last for six months. "The temporary jobs program obviously is a very positive thing for Grand Bahama.

We expect that as much as 500 persons could be impacted by the project, given that a number of government agencies are likely to mount projects that could engage those persons for the six-month period that is designed for the program," Minister Laing said.

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham made the initial announcement about the program while in Grand Bahama back in early September, noting that the concept was to provide temporary jobs to assist the unemployed "in this difficult time."

Last Monday, Prime Minister Ingraham tabled a supplementary appropriations bill in the House of Assembly to fund the program. The next day, it was announced that the Ministry of Tourism and the Bahamas Hotel Association would be offering 110 paid apprentice jobs for Bahamians at $210 per week.

The program is scheduled to begin on December 14 and applications are due by November 27. At the end of the program, 20 of the 10 selected people will be offered full time positions and the remaining 90 people would be kept on file at the ministry as a resource when a position becomes available and will stay online at www.tourismtoday.com.

Employees will receive a certificate of participation at the end of the program.

Several more government agencies are expected to come online soon and the program is anticipated to assist Bahamians in Grand Bahama, New Providence and the Family Islands.

"We think that that's going to be wonderful for any number of people to give a little boost to Grand Bahama's economy and so I know a number of people are looking forward to being a part of that and that's going to bring lots of people to apply," said Minister Laing.

The minister revealed that the applications are likely to be available at various government agencies, Adminis-trator's offices, at constituency offices and also online. Applications are presently online at the government's official website at www.free-nationalmovement.org.

Already, the government has provided 2,230 Baha-mians with unemployment assistance under the National Insurance Unem-ployment Benefit Program and more by way of Social Service assistance.

The government's National Training Program was also sparking positive reviews and education officials noted that the $250,000 investment was well spent.

Some 187 students were enrolled at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute since September 7 and two weeks before the conclusion of the 10-week courses, three had proven the more popular of the 16 offered.