St Vincent’s Prime Minister Godwin Friday highlighted a serious mismatch between the skills available in the national workforce and the specific work required for major infrastructure projects.
Friday said that despite a general national unemployment rate of approximately 19% to 20%, with even higher rates among young people, there are currently job openings that cannot be filled because citizens do not possess the necessary expertise.
This mismatch is currently affecting the construction of the new hospital at Arnos Vale, where there is a notable shortage of skilled specialty labor.
The project currently employs about 185 people, but officials state they need to double that workforce to meet the original completion timeline.
Friday stated that this issue must be addressed at a national level rather than on a project-by-project basis. Consequently, the government is planning rapid training and certification programmes in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to bring workers “up to speed” within the next six months.
The administration views these training initiatives as essential for allowing local people to “cash in” on significant state projects and for moving the country beyond a situation where jobs exist but remain vacant due to a lack of qualified personnel.