The Surinamese Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor (VWA) officially launched on Friday an ambitious vocational training initiative named ‘Leri Fu Feni Wroko’ (Learn and Find Work), designed to provide 425 job seekers with complimentary training for high-demand occupations. The program’s commencement was marked by the signing of collaborative agreements with four accredited training institutions: SHTTC, ARVAS, PAS, and SSAS.
This government-backed project specifically targets sectors experiencing significant workforce shortages, including tourism, hospitality services, information technology, and security. Participants can select from diverse training pathways such as wait staff, assistant chef, front office operations, housekeeping, customer experience specialist, chauffeur, security officer, HVAC technician, and warehouse employee. The comprehensive training curriculum spans approximately six months and is offered entirely free of charge to qualified applicants, with registration available through the dedicated portal leri fufeniwroko.org.
Financial backing for the initiative originates from an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan under the broader ‘Labor Market Alignment for New Industries’ program. This funding supports the government’s strategic focus on economic diversification and enhancing the synchronization between labor market demands and workforce capabilities. Official statements from VWA highlight that recent research identifies skill deficiencies and outdated labor market information as primary barriers preventing unemployed individuals from securing stable employment.
During the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister Raj Jadnanansing emphasized that the program’s ultimate success metric would be measured by participants’ effective transition into sustainable employment or entrepreneurial ventures. Representing the training consortium, Nazara Kranenburg of SHTTC provided assurances regarding the quality and relevance of the training modules, confirming their design specifically to enhance participants’ competitiveness within the current job market.