Thousands to benefit from construction industry training

Barbados is positioning itself to take advantage of an expected building boom by training over 3 000 persons, some from as early as age 16, to fill various construction jobs.

It will be done through the Barbados Construction Gateway Training Initiative (BCGTI), which will offer 24 courses over the next year.

Training for the BCGTI will be facilitated by the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI), the Barbados Vocational Training Board (BVTB), the Barbados Community College (BCC) and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council.

Today during an official launch ceremony at the SJPI, Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training Kay McConney said thousands of Barbadians would benefit from the BCGTI.

“This BCGTI is a targeted response to demand and an opportunity for people to make a difference in their own lives. The overarching aim of this programme is to train and prepare an adequate, competent and skilled workforce to support the expected construction boom.

“The BCGTI has three components: training, which is learning the whys, the hows, and nuts and bolts of the trade as well as how to go out there and be a good worker; job attachments, it’s the authentic experiences, applying learning in real world situations on the job and the third component is tools acquisition. We recognize that we not only need to train, we not only need these trainees to apply their learning in real-world situations but we also need to equip them and give them the tools that after it is over they are able to then take those tools which they will own and carry forward into a career,” McConney said.

The minister maintained that Government alone could not make the initiative successful and called on the private sector to lend its support in not only providing internships and job attachments, but also “permanent and decent work with meaningful pay”.

Joseph Steinbok, managing director of Steinbok Management Services, said his company was taking part in the initiative and implored other businesses to follow suit.

He lamented the fact that there had been an exodus of skilled workers from Barbados in recent years.

“During the time period when the industry was booming many skilled workers were nationals from other Caribbean territories, especially Guyana and St Lucia and during the recession most of them returned to their homelands. This has severely reduced the available skilled labourers in the construction industry,” Steinbok said.

“The BCGTI is a very important step towards the island meeting the skilled labour requirements of the construction industry in the near term and the long-term. This initiative is effectively a partnership between Government and the private sector whereby Government provides the training and the construction industry provides the internships and on-the-job training. For this initiative to be successful it will require commitment from both sides and therefore I am pleading with and encouraging all of my fellow members of the Barbados construction industry to take part in this initiative.”

Principal of the BCC, Annette Alleyne made a plea for more females to get involved in the construction sector which is presently dominated by males.

“For the majority of the programmes at the BCC related to the construction industry I must say there are mainly male applicants…I want to be clear that we are encouraging the men and the boys to come out and apply, we want those high numbers, but I’m also sending out an appeal to women and girls; this opportunity is also for you. This is a game-changing, life-changing opportunity,” Alleyne said.

Applications for the first set of training courses became available this month and classes are set to begin on May 9, 2022. (RB)