PHILIPSBURG--Minister Plenipotentiary Rene Violenus and his cabinet have reached out to the Council of Ministers and the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) regarding one of their economic outreach activities that has the potential of contributing to “De Nationale Carrièrebeurs” (National Career Fair).
Violenus personally initiated constructive discussions with the Dutch company Memory Group, the main company for the National Career Fair that promotes “Working in the Caribbean”.
The main goal is to mobilise the diaspora of St. Maarten in the Netherlands so that talented persons return and contribute to the national development of their country.
A live presentation for organisations and companies is scheduled at the Government Administration Building, rooms 1 and 2, at 10:00am Thursday, November 30. (and not at the University of St Martin USM) as inadvertently stated in the headline of an article in Wednesday's issue of The Daily Herald).
The information will be about on- and offline talent acquisition and the process of creating profiles to be matched with an employer will be provided. There will also be feedback from employees from last year talking about their experience(s).
In addition, Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Silveria Jacobs, Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Omar Ottley and Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Arthur Lambriex have been invited to join the information sessions, underlining the mutual interest in making this initiative a success.
Those interested in joining on Thursday can send an email to
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As part of the promotion, Memory Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Geert Nab and Chief Operations Officer (COO) Mylene van Puffelen are currently conducting a tour in the Caribbean. Jacobs, Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion and Minister of Justice Anna Richardson were briefed on November 2 on the significance of the Career Fair and were introduced to Nab and Van Puffelen.
The company, which has organised more than 50 career fairs in the Netherlands, received the “Corporate Live Wire Innovation in Recruitment Services” Award 2023 in London on August 30, 2023. As a result, it will receive even more international recognition for its innovative recruitment services that will benefit employers and training institutions in St. Maarten in 2024 and beyond, according to Memory Group.
“De Nationale Carrièrebeurs” is the largest career event in the Netherlands, with different career sections, one of which is “Working in the Caribbean”.
Various St. Maarten employers have already committed themselves, including Port St. Maarten Group, the Advisory Council, the General Pension Fund APS and the Prosecutor’s Office.
More than 15,000 visitors are expected at the Fair, which is scheduled for March 22-23, 2024, in the Amsterdam RAI, the Netherlands.
