By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE MINISTRY of Labour is to take its employment initiative on the road to sign up qualified Bahamians on the Employment Exchange for work.

Senator and Labour Minister Dion Foulkes said the initiative would target the low employment areas of New Providence and Grand Bahama during his senate contribution last week.

"We are going on the blocks, on the basketball courts, outside popular business establishments like food stores and washhouses. We are taking our employment exchange to the people," he said.

"Too often we have applications for work permits in a number of areas and we do not have qualified Bahamians on our list at the Exchange to refer to the employer."

Mr. Foulkes noted there are shortages of housekeepers, gardeners, farmers, air conditioning technicians, welders, engineers, nurses, specialized teachers, spa therapists, butlers, food and beverage managers, financial services traders and wealth managers.

"May I take this opportunity to appeal to qualified people who are looking for employment: please register with the Employment Exchange," he said.

Mr. Foulkes said his Ministry is focusing on a national approach to training. In this regard, several institutions have been consulted namely the University of the Bahamas, the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute, hotels, the financial services sector and the industrial sector in Grand Bahama.

"We want to devise a coordinated public/private sector training initiative where we can focus our efforts on training Bahamians for the demands of the existing market place," he said.

In the financial services and the maritime industries, he noted that the Ministry is in the process of devising plans to institutionalize education and training from primary and high school levels.

Initiatives

"We have looked into some of the initiatives in Singapore, Cayman Islands and other jurisdictions as to how to approach this question of training in the financial services sector," Mr. Foulkes said.

He noted the country the government is mostly impressed with in this regards is Estonia, where that government and the private sector began the training of Estonians for the financial services sector from the primary school level.

"If we are to maximize the benefits to Bahamians, I am of the view that we have to begin the process of making a cultural change with respect to financial services and the maritime industry, and it must start with our educational and training institutions," Mr. Foulkes said.

In the area of Labour, he said his Ministry is in the final stages of concluding industrial agreements with Customs, Immigration, and the Air Traffic Controllers unions.