The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chief executive yesterday said the private sector was in full support of the proposed national apprenticeship programme, as a skilled and employable workforce was key to national development.

Edison Sumner said: “We are going to be very engaged with that  programme in helping to find placement for the apprentices in the private sector. It’s something that we offer our full support behind.

“The IDB has offered their technical and financial support, and the Government will be offering its support as well. We think there is strong merit to the initiative.”

The $50 million initiative aims to overhaul skills training and employment preparation in the Bahamas. The project, which will be funded 50/50 by matching contributions from the Government and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aims to improve the Department of Labour’s job seeker placement rate from the current 2 per cent to 18 per cent.

Called ‘Skills for current and future jobs in the Bahamas’, it also aims to better equip young Bahamians for the demands of the 21st century workplace via apprenticeship programmes that emphasise ‘on the job’ training.

The three sectors targeted for the apprenticeship programme are maritime services (Grand Bahama Shipyard); the medical industry; and information technology (IT) and telecommunications. All three were said to have been chosen because the Christie administration believes they are ripe for growth as a result of new investments.

    “We are going to be working to get proper placement of the apprentices and that will go toward the training, skills and productivity development, so they can advance on the jobs where they are placed or be in a position to take advantage of other opportunities. We want to get more people trained, make them more employable and expand the workforce,” said Mr Sumner.