By Ayanna Kirton, Staff ReporterWILLIAM CLARKE, managing director of the Bank of Nova Scotia said a change in the current attitude among students and educators could be one solution to Jamaica's unemployment problem.
Mr. Clarke said there was a growing misconception among students that a degree in almost any area meant a job was guaranteed for them after graduation. However, he said many skills acquired by students were not marketable or relevant in many of the positions sought.
"There is a serious gap between the skills produced and the jobs created," said Mr. Clarke who noted that only students who were capable of producing a good or service for which there was legitimate demand would be afforded the opportunity to become gainfully employed.
He also pointed out that although Jamaica's unemployment rate reported at the end of 2003 was 13 percent, a reduction by 2 percentage points compared with the previous year, this accomplishment was not significant enough to relax efforts geared towards job creation. "These rates are no basis for complacency," said Mr. Clarke, "unemployment is still a crucial issue." He also urged those in attendance to abandon the notion that job creation was dependent on government intervention.
PRIVATE SECOTOR RESPONSIBILITY
The managing director pointed out the country's largest employer, it was the responsibility of the private sector to continue to create jobs to meet the demands of the labour market since government jobs were unable to generate substantial levels of employment.
Mr. Clarke was the guest speaker at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's (PSOJ) monthly Job Creation Awards held at the Terra Nova Hotel yesterday. This month the recipients of PSOJ Job Creation Awards included Minott Services, Seal Sprayed Solutions, The Jade Vine, and J. Wray & Nephew, which received a special award for 70+ years of employment.
Minott Services, Jamaica's largest waste disposal and janitorial company has been in business for over 30 years. The company services Kingston & St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Ocho Rios and its environs and Negril. The company recently opened a recycling facility, which recycles over 200 tons of paper monthly.
Seal Sprayed Solutions specialises in the waterproofing and insulation of commercial and residential buildings by the application of poly-urethane foam. This synthetic compound lasts longer, is more likely to withstand hurricane winds, is watertight, and makes a home or commercial building considerably cooler. The company opened in January 2003 with one mobile plant and five full time employees and has now expanded to 16 full time employees and 10 additional temporary workers.
The Jade Vine began operations in 1996 and has moved from supplying only gift and fruit baskets to offering a range if services including plant rentals, gardening services, wedding planning and landscaping.
The company is responsible for a number of landscaping jobs including the Ministry of Education's regional offices in Old Harbour St. Catherine.
J. Wray & Nephew, blenders and bottlers of rums and spirits since 1825, is the oldest company in Jamaica and one of the largest exporters in the Caribbean, exporting its products to over 57 countries world wide. The company is a subsidiary of the Lascelles deMercado Group, which was founded in 1870 and employs approximately 3500 persons.
