The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Minister of Financial Services yesterday said that language and cultural exposure was a ‘significant gap’ for Bahamian financial services professionals, telling Tribune Business his ministry was working with the industry to fill human capital deficiencies.

Ryan Pinder, who was was a panellist at the 2013 KPMG Investment Summit, told Tribune Business that investing in human capital development was key to advance the sector.

“We think language and cultural exposure is a significant gap for our professionals, and we’re working with industry to mend that, fill those gaps,” Mr Pinder said.

“We have been working with industry to ensure that the necessary opportunities are available to fill certain gaps. We know language and cultural training, and exposure, is significant for advancement in the banking sector, for instance.

“We have been working with AIBT, who recently sent away some students for the Spanish immersion programme in Mexico. We have been working with the Bahamas Institute of Financial Services to introduce certificates in Spanish for financial service professionals. We have spoken to Mexico, for instance, who would be willing to provide scholarship opportunities for immersion programs in Mexico.”

Mr Pinder added: “Likewise we have been speaking to the Brazilians at the diplomatic level to do the same. We’re advancing that, and working with private sector and other governments to try and properly fill those human capital training gaps.”