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JAMAICA: Lands around Hope Gardens to be developed into a Technology Park

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#Jamaica, November 7, 2017 – Kingston – Plans by the government are in the offing to convert lands around Hope Gardens in St. Andrew into a technology park.   Minister without Portfolio in the Economic Growth and Job Creation Ministry, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang confirmed that by the end of 2018, the first 300,000 square foot of space will be established to employ up to 6,000 individuals.

“We know that coming to this area, companies will want to employ graduates and even post-graduate persons at competitive salaries,” he said.

Dr. Chang was speaking at a Business Process Outsourcing Career Fair, hosted by the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), at the University of Technology (UTech) in St. Andrew, on November 3.   The technology park is expected to provide additional spaces for the development of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) entities and feature a number of other high specification office spaces.

Through the Housing Act of 1969, the Government has been making available to developers, public lands to build out BPO spaces through public private partnerships.   Additionally, Parliament recently approved the Special Economic Zone Regulations, which now enable licensed BPO developers to enjoy significant tax and customs benefits as they build out operations.

“We want economic growth, we want industry and development and there must be job creation because the most important thing in overcoming poverty and realising prosperity is the creation of jobs and productivity,” Dr. Chang said.

Meanwhile, turning to the need for more engineers, the Minister without Portfolio informed that the Government has already begun examining ways to ensure that all students of engineering graduate.

“I have given a commitment to the Prime Minister that I will find the funding that all the current engineering [students] from the University of the West Indies (Mona Campus) and those at UTech and the Caribbean Maritime University, who are having challenges to pay their fees, will be done,” he said.

Beyond that, Dr. Chang noted that in the coming academic year the government is looking to find funding to ensure that at least “500 and ultimately 1000 students can apply to do engineering”.

Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, in his remarks, informed that among the plans by the government, is the training of 10,000 students per year in preparation for the BPO industry.   In furtherance of this plan, all secondary school students will be exposed to BPO fundamentals, “for customer engagement operations on a phased basis”.

Approximately 2,400 students are currently enrolled in the Career Advancement Programme (CAP) in direct BPO and related courses, including: call contact centres, customer engagement operations, computer servicing and support, data operations and overall customer service.

For her part, JAMPRO President, Diane Edwards, said the BPO Career Fair at UTech is the first in a series of fairs being held and a second one will held be in Montego Bay shortly.   She noted that the objective of the fairs is to help build an understanding of the BPO among young people looking for their first job opportunity; provide a forum for the 50 BPOs to speak to the youth about their ethos; and to open them up to potential job opportunities.

At the career fair, students from a number of institutions were present. BPOs such as Sutherland Global, IBEX Global, Avasant and VXI Global Solutions were also present to share their experiences with interested individuals.

Release: JIS

 

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New Tilapia Hatchery Slated for Completion Later This Year

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – The new tilapia hatchery under construction in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, is slated for completion towards the end of 2024.

The 12,000 sq. ft. facility, being built at a cost of approximately $574 million, is intended to address the major issue of shortages in good-quality seed stock for fish farmers islandwide.

Manager for the Promoting Community-based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector Project, Selena Ledgister, says the hatchery’s establishment is critical for securing a sustainable fisheries sector.

“Construction is on in earnest and we are looking before the year is out – which would be by around September or October – to complete the building part of it. The Project will be supporting the purchase and installation of the recirculating aquaculture system. This system will provide over five million advanced fries (young fish) per year, using the recirculating aquaculture system,” she told JIS News.

The bio-secure climate-resilient modular hatchery, being developed in partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), will feature a solar standby generator, plumbing system, rehabilitated guard host and administrative building.

Mrs. Ledgister said the hatchery, to be built and operated under environmentally friendly conditions, will impact the lives of fish farmers islandwide.

“I believe we have over 120 aquaculture farmers, and that number is growing; so, this will benefit the industry significantly. The hatchery is also expected to cushion the demand for fish. Fish farmers will also get the supply of advanced fries to restock their ponds. This is a significant impact that the Climate Resilience Project, as well as JSIF, will be creating for the Jamaican fish farmers,” she said.

 

Contact: Twila Wheelan

Release: JIS

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Trust Fund for Poor Children Born On or After August 6, 2022

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – Children born on or after the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, who are wards of the State or beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), will be eligible for the Jamaica 60 HOPE (Hope, Opportunity, Prosperity and Empowerment) For Children Trust Fund.

Jamaica celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on August 6, 2022.

In his contribution to the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 21, Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness, said the purpose of the Fund is to help to close the wealth gap and address the issue of intergenerational poverty by creating a trust account specifically catered to vulnerable children.

“The HOPE for Children Trust Fund will provide each eligible child with a long-term savings account funded through annual contributions from the Government. Parents, guardians or other donors will also be able to make deposits into the account for the future benefit of any specific child,” Mr. Holness said.

The accumulated funds, including interest, will be accessible on or after the child’s 18th birthday, for specific purposes such as education, purchase of a home or commercial property or investment in a business.

“The central idea behind the programme is to provide children with a lump sum to start them in life upon attaining adulthood. Our initial target is a lump sum of between $600,000 and $800,000, to be available on the 18th birthday of any eligible child,” Mr. Holness said.

He noted that the Government will also explore alternatives to establish and manage the Fund, adding that it could form part of the National Insurance Fund or be administered by private insurance companies.

“This is, I believe, a ground-breaking initiative to truly grapple with inequality in the society. From a historical perspective, there are many households who have no endowment in Jamaica, meaning that they can’t look towards anything bequeathed to them from their family. There is no asset being passed down to them from generation. The only way that they are able to create any wealth is through their labour, through the dint of their effort – literally pulling themselves up by their bootstraps,” Mr. Holness said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that as the economy grows, the Government has a responsibility to take instrumental and decisive steps to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and correct structural inequalities.

“The intention here is great, the amount may be considered small, but it is the first step in the right direction to truly create a more equitable society,” Mr. Holness said.

 

Contact: Judana Murphy

Release: JIS

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Port Royal Museum to Open in May

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 26, 2024 – The long-awaited Port Royal Museum is expected to be opened in May of this year, with the first exhibit set to be unveiled at the event.

Construction of the two-storey facility, which will be the first fit-for-purpose museum erected in Jamaica, was done at a cost of $788 million with funding from the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ).

Major work on the building was completed in December 2023, with finishing touches and furnishings left to be done.

Director of the National Museum Jamaica (NMJ), Dr. Jonathan Greenland, told JIS News in an interview that the new museum will replace the older and much smaller facility at Fort Charles.

“It didn’t touch all the subject areas… so we lobbied for the Port Authority to collaborate with us and develop a museum in Port Royal, and so they’ve actually constructed a huge building with restaurant facilities, lots of parking, multifunctional space and meeting rooms, shops and everything that a modern museum should have,” he said.

The museum will also be fully accessible to members of the disabled community with wheelchair ramps and an elevator.

Dr. Greenland added that the location of the museum is also of notable significance to the history of the sunken city.

“Right on the spot where the museum is going to be, there was a rebellion of the enslaved workers from the dockyard. The leader of the rebellion or uprising was a skilled bricklayer and when you look at the walls around the whole area where the dockyard used to be, he was probably involved in building that,” he said.

He further pointed out that the museum will present a new opportunity for the NMJ to attract even more visitors and facilitate cultural tourism.

“We’re very excited…. and you know Port Royal is a very interesting place and the history is fascinating. We always had loads of visitors from all around the world without doing any marketing whatsoever, and this is going to be a whole different level of merchandising, marketing and tourism. This is fascinating history and it’s going to be quite dramatic,” Dr. Greenland told JIS News.

 

Contact : Jermi-Lee Nelson

Release : JIS

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