Turks and Caicos, April 20, 2017 -As the former shadow minister for Border Control, current Premier Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson told the house of assembly that she would continue to campaign for a labor skills assessment, which was initially started by the opposition. Premier Robinson surprisingly thanked the opposition for beginning the exercise and also added that her government would continue the process of enhancing labor market legislation, put measures in place to target education programs and help eliminate the issues of unemployment among citizens in the Turks and Caicos Islands. This all came as Premier Robinson made her first official budget address on Tuesday 18th April 2017.
The premier stated that included in the many new projects her government is committed to offer to promote change, $950K from the 2017-2018 budget has been allocated to scanning of documents, registration and citizenship. Additionally, Premier Robinson also promised that her government will continue the process of finding ways to reduce the cost of doing business in the Turks and Caicos Islands, specifically in terms of obtaining the different licenses to operate, critical work permits, and labor clearances.
The premier also addressed “the vision to elevate the Ministry of Border Control to National Security is to have the urgent impact that is important and when engaged in illegal or corrupt activities, one is putting the national security of the country at risk.” Premier Robinson said that citizens all have a part to play in border control, pinpointing to the acts of some citizens who take out visas “for someone that you have not seen returned or the laborer who has fallen out of status” noting that “immigration and labor is no game.
As for employment, Premier Robinson said that her government is committed to returning students through a soon-to-be introduced partnership, which will ensure job placement.
Story by: Kay-Marie Fletcher
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