The Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) has been focused on contributing to Tobago’s economy. From furniture and infrastructure to agriculture and the environment, the URP workers have been making their mark.

Secretary of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment Kwesi Des Vignes said he is proud of what the employees have been accomplishing.

“…We’ve been rebranding URP: “Useful, Relevant and Productive”,” Des Vignes stated. “And I’m very pleased with the work that we’ve been doing. The workers themselves feel better about the opportunities that they now have in terms of training, in terms of how productive they are.”

The Infrastructure Secretary said the URP’s work has benefited the island.

“…The Chief Secretary would have taken a personal interest in ensuring that the URP Programme was reformed in a way that it provides benefit especially to the women in the programme.”

“We’ve ramped up our agriculture production, we’re ramping up our furniture workshop and concrete production, because we’re looking to get more benefits to the workers, and by extension the people of Tobago.”

On Friday (January 11, 2019), representatives from the Infrastructure Division signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Commission for Self-Help. This agreement will see the URP provide labour to assist Tobago recipients of the Commission’s Emergency Relief and Reconstruction Assistance Grant.