By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

YOUNG people were urged to take advantage of training courses at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute yesterday, with the institution’s president saying there were lots of job opportunities available for skilled Bahamians.

BTVI hosted an open house and career day on its campus yesterday in collaboration with the Lowell Jason Mortimer Maritime Academy and the Department of Labour.

Among those attending yesterday’s event included Labour and Immigration Minister Keith Bell, BTVI president Dr Robert Robertson and LJM Maritime Academy President Dr Brendamae Cleare.

Dr Robertson told those attending that the number of jobs available in the country for Bahamians were numerous.

He also said many employers were looking for skilled Bahamians and urged locals to apply to the institution to become certified.

“There are many job opportunities, currently,” he said. “I see people coming in almost daily to my office asking for trained Bahamians, skilled and certified Bahamians. We need to be ready. Now is the time. The window is open. If you have an interest at all in the trades, please talk to us about these programmes. They’re short, they’re modules and in particular… they’re free.

“The government has scholarships to support these and employ you. If you’re a parent listening to us or a student, think about these opportunities, you can be certified by the summer of 2022. Now is your chance to do that.”

Similar comments were also echoed by Mr Bell, who urged young Bahamians not to take such opportunities for granted.

He said: “Let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen, the number of investments in this country are in the billions of dollars. Everyone wants to come here to this wonderful and beautiful country. They want to invest and they want to meet our warm people. The implication of that is opportunities for our young people, opportunities. The opportunity created by BTVI, the ministry of labour with the government along with LMI is very significant. It cannot be underscored.

“When we sit and make a determination as to whether or not an investment should go on in this country, we have to determine and the investors asks for a number of work permits in a number of fields and we have to grant in many cases, these work permits simply because we don’t have the bank of field labour to meet the demand. That is how important it is.

“As all the speakers before me said, the education is free so you have government, BTVI, LJM and all of the corporate donors and scholarship donors, they have come together in a myriad of ways to make education available to all of us less fortunate and so I implore all Bahamians everywhere, take ​advantage of the opportunity. You cannot sit on the sidelines and do not embrace the opportunity and cry foul. You have to get in the game and take advantage of the ​opportunities.”