- WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
Audrey Hinchcliffe
THE JAMAICA Employers' Federation (JEF) launched its annual Management Development Convention last Thursday at its offices on Ruthven Road. This year's convention will take place from May 11 - 14, at the Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios. The JEF Convention, which is now in its 24th year, has become widely known across the region and has earned a reputation for its learning tracks and the high level of networking it allows.
JEF President Mrs. Audrey Hinchcliffe, in her opening remarks, stated the "primary objectives of the convention are to stimulate growth and development in companies by energising and inspiring participants and by introducing new ideas". She also spoke of the new dimensions the convention will be taking to make it applicable to all who attend, even those who have participated in past years.
GROWN CONSIDERABLY
The Jamaica Employers' Federation Convention has grown considerably in the past six years, with the number of participants increasing from just over 100 in 1999 to over 500 at the 2005 convention.
This year's Convention Chairman Barry Robinson highlighted the different learning tracks for Convention 2006. These will include several seminars and workshops on such diverse topics as 'Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders', 'Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy and Management' and 'The CSME, Opportunity or Threat'. Mr. Robinson also took the opportunity to introduce some key speakers and presenters for Convention 2006, such as Mr. Jeff Russell, co-director of Russell Consulting out of the U.S.A., and Mr. L. Anthony Watkins, an accomplished organisational development consultant from Trinidad and Tobago, who will be the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony.
SUPPORTIVE PARTNER
The Minister of Tourism, Aloun N'Dombet Assamba, in her address, stated that JEF had distinguished itself as a supportive partner and advocate for its members and the wider society. She highlighted the Jamaica Employers' Federation's launch of the Jamaica Youth Employment Network and Young Entrepreneurs Association as examples of the vision of the JEF. In endorsing the JEF Convention 2006 Minister Assamba noted the practicability of the services that the JEF can provide via the convention. She recommended the JEF convention to all young Jamaican entrepreneurs, whether you are young in age or young in the sense of their business or entrepreneurial journey.
Endorsements to the JEF Convention also came from COK general manager Mrs. Brenda Cuthbert who stated that the convention would be an excellent forum for examination and reflection on issues critical to business success. She noted that the convention provides an opportunity of acquisition of new knowledge as well as motivation to revisit some common problems with fresh insight. Mrs. Cuthbert also stated that the convention's theme was in line with COK as that company facilitates enterprise development.
