Weekend Report | The Freeport News | PDF Online Guide

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Home National Sports Business Lifestyles Religion Arts & Culture Pulse Spice Editorial letters Opinion Foodie Sportscope Real Talks Weekend Report PDF's Classifieds Contact About Us Archive Weather

Connecting 1,000 with jobs for $250k For the first time, the Labour Minister may be pointing to inadequate funding for the government's training program, in jest saying money may have to be taken from another ministry. "The government has allocated $250,000 [for the job training program]," Dion Foulkes said yesterday, addressing scores of businessmen and women at the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce's annual "Meet the Ministers" forum. "Maybe I can twist some of my colleagues arm(s) to get some more money from their line items." That modest $250k — down from the $2m originally earmarked for the program —is meant to assist the employment search for some 1,000 Bahamians who have lost their jobs in recent months. That boils down to around $250 per person attending what's supposed to be a comprehensive two-month, re-training course. Union officials in fact spearheaded the push for re-training of their members in order to ensure they get some of the jobs created under the government's stimulus package. Khaalis Rolle, head of the program's committee and BCOC president, said each individual participating in the program would be required to sign a contract and maintain certain standards. "The idea is to have a certification," he added. "We're going to go through an evaluation process throughout the program and monitor their progress."