Dear Editor,
The first opportunity for the unemployed or others seeking a career in the construction sector starts on Friday, January 26 from 9:00am to 1:00pm with a registration drive to learn a new skill.
Persons with an interest in the construction sector go to the main floor of the Government Administration Building on Pond Island.
Registration is open to persons between the ages of 18 and 35 who are Dutch nationals or who possess permanent residence permit.
The country is in need of qualified building contractors after the catastrophic damages caused by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. The rebuilding of the country will take time and due to the long-term closure of some hotel properties, up to two years, there will be a demand for qualified building contractors and this is an opportunity for those who face the challenge of unemployment due to business closures.
Persons interested in becoming employed in the Building Construction sector now have a unique opportunity to follow six (6) months training in Trinidad to become a certified tradesman, it was announced recently by the Government of Sint Maarten.
The Division for Study Financing, the Department of Youth of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport and The Department of Labour Affairs and Social Services of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour have teamed up with the MIC Institute of Technology in Trinidad to provide young unemployed persons on St. Maarten with study financing, via its Dutch NL funded “Studying in the Region Project,” to pursue training in the Building Construction trades.
Persons can become certified in areas such as Building Construction (general), Carpentry, Masonry, Plumbing, Electrical Installation, Welding and General Property Maintenance. These courses are CVQ level one certifications.
A second potential opportunity and which should be seriously explored is working with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) regarding employment on-board cruise ships.
The Caribbean is the number one region for cruise tourism and the majority of ships deployed by cruise lines are in the region during the winter season.
It was reported during the FCCA Cruise Conference & Exhibition in Mexico last October that there were discussions of creating more employment opportunities for Caribbean nationals on-board cruise ships, and that these would be continued during other upcoming regional meetings.
Some of the jobs featured on-board cruise ships are: beauty, casino, child care, deck jobs, entertainment, food & beverage, guest services, cooks, waiters, stewards, laundry, retail, sports & fitness etc. Another area for job opportunities is on Mega/Super Yachts.
This is an area perhaps the Chamber of Labour Unions could explore with the public sector since the Caribbean is considered one of the most important destinations for the cruise industry.
Roddy Heyliger
