The Tribune

More Bahamians must be trained in technical skills to meet the employment demands an expanding national economy will create, the Prime Minister has urged.

Dr Hubert Minnis said: “With the expansion of our economy nationally and on Grand Bahama, this is an even more urgent matter, especially as construction, our second largest industry, will need many more employees and workers.” He emphasised that reducing the skills gap in The Bahamas was critical to reducing unemployment, increasing productivity and improving tye ease of doing business.

The prime minister was speaking on Friday at the Ministry of Labour’s Grand Bahama District High School Technical and Industrial Forum Exhibition, held at the St George’s High School Gymnasium under the theme Motivating young Bahamians, pursuing a brighter future through technical and industrial education.

Friday’s forum was designed to empower young people to bridge the skills gaps on Grand Bahama, and was the result of a 2018 symposium that brought together more than 150 leaders of industry, education, government and labour to craft a comprehensive approach to address the skills deficit.

“I am pleased that Grand Bahama is once again on the move. The revival of Grand Bahama has begun. It is part of a much bigger Bahamian revival,” said the prime minister.

The government is currently in negotiations with Carnival for the development of a new cruise port in Freeport, which will create hundreds of jobs in the short-term and has the potential to provide more than 1,000 direct and indirect permanent positions within the next few years.

The government has also signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Royal Caribbean International and the ITM Group for the sale of the Grand Lucayan resort, the redevelopment of Freeport Harbour and the development of a major theme park and entertainment area.

PharmaChem will soon be completing its expansion phase. Itelbpo Smart Solutions provides opportunities in the technical field. And other technical and industrial companies offer a variety of exciting opportunities, the Prime Minister said.

Hundreds of senior high school students attended Friday’s forum and exhibition from Grand Bahama, Bimini and Grand Cay, and more than 20 entities from the technical and industrial sectors set up exhibitions.

The prime minister told students: “This is a marvellous opportunity for you to gain and gather as much information as possible to be able to help chart your future.”