Erica James-King, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU: HUNDREDS OF western Jamaica residents converged on the offices of the Social Development Commission (SDC) in Albion, Montego Bay yesterday, braving the searing sun for hours to seek jobs in the overseas hotel employment programme.
It marked the final day of a five-day recruitment exercise undertaken by the Labour Ministry for residents of St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland and Trelawny.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour is giving the assurance that at the end of the five-day period, at least 500 persons from western parishes would gain employment.
300 APPLICANTS PER DAY
"We see at least 300 applicants per day but on Monday the number of persons we attended to jumped to as high as 450," Monica Anderson, director in the Ministry of Labour's Manpower Division, told The Gleaner. "Of the number of applicants we see in the west, some 170 to 180 are successful in the programme and have their documentation pro-cessed on spot. Fingerprinting is also done on the spot."
Ms. Anderson said most of the applicants have a satisfactory level of experience, and consequently many succeed in getting placed.
"The tourist industry is strong in the west and most of those we see have good working experience in the sector and that is what our overseas employees are looking for," Ms. Anderson explained.
SHORTLISTED
Outlining the steps in the recruitment exercise, she said applications were accepted in September last year, from which applicants were shortlisted.
The shortlisted batch was invited to the SDC offices in Montego Bay for a preliminary screening-interview by the overseas employment facilitators, Florida East Coast Travel Service, and for a second round of screening by different emplo-yers from the United States.
Checks by The Gleaner revealed that on Monday there were as much as 15 overseas hotel employers conducting screening interviews, while on Tuesday there were eight.
One of the overseas companies, 360º Realty Company from Michigan has been coming to Jamaica for the past four years to recruit staff.
"What we are trying to find are cooks who will do very well in our inter-seasonal restaurants in Michigan for four to five months per year," said Dean Borland, president of 360º Realty, speaking with The Gleaner.
The company is also seeking qualified housekeepers, cooks and bartenders.
EXCELLENT WORK ETHIC
Mr. Borland said his company has been impressed with the excellent work ethic of the Jamaicans.
"We have a lot of people who keep coming back to us each year, so in addition to new recruits and those we are re-employing, we'll be taking about 25 persons this year."
360º Realty manages two hotels and restaurants in Michigan. The Labour Ministry, in the meantime, has hailed the success of the hotel work programme, pointing out that contract workers on the programme sent home over $300 million in remittances last year.
During the first six months of 2003, some 3,969 Jamaicans gained employment under the hotel programme.
