The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute’s (BTVI) president says The Bahamas must produce better-qualified workers as 60 percent of employers are unable to find the staff they need.

Dr Robert Robertson, speaking at the Maritime Bahamas Conference, referenced the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitive Index in noting that “we need to do a better job in the education sphere”.

He added: “Generally, we have a high school graduation rate which is less than 50 percent. We also have skills gap surveys that have been completed as recently as 2019, which suggest that more than 60 percent of Bahamian employers feel that they do not have - and cannot get - trained, skilled employees in the sectors that they operate in. I’m talking about a wide range of sectors - from education, from trade. It’s lots of different sectors.”

Noting that the “skills gap is not new”, Dr Robertson said that while it may be significant in The Bahamas, the problem is not unique to this nation. He added that developed countries such as the US, Canada, UK and Europe all have to grapple with the same challenges.

“There is no more skills gap in Britain; they call it a skills chasm,” Dr Robertson said. “It’s gotten worse, and so IBM is suggesting that most companies recognise there are concerns of a widening skills gap, but hardly any of the companies are doing anything about it.

“Conflict resolution, strategic planning and environmental scanning” are all needed in addition to academic qualifications, said Dr Robertson. “In addition to the hard skills, there’s a variety of soft skills that people are talking about really being important and not being well handled,” he added.

Referring to a McKinsey & Company survey from 2020, Dr Robertson added: “If you look at the literature these days you would be surprised to find that upskilling is a fairly common term, and a lot of people need to enhance their skill set. Particularly as we come out of the COVID pandemic, companies will be rehiring.

“The European Commission has conducted a report and survey as well, which said there’s a series of key skills, emotional intelligence, adaptability, etc. Leadership was one of them.

“I was a bit surprised by that, because leadership is a core skill. It’s been around as a requirement for many, many years. But what they’re talking about here is kind of the new leadership; leadership that’s more of a servant leader, more of a leader who’s able to work with people, not a command and control leader basically.”

Dr Robertson added: “This European Commission report was also important because it also emphasises the fact that this leadership now has to be someone who is more adept with technology, and able to manage a remote workforce.

“The remaining four skill sets of the post-COVID skill sets from the European economy include technology skills, data literacy, creativity, and innovation and critical thinking.”