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JAMAICA: More Young People Seeing Opportunities in BPO

Published

7 years ago

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#Jamaica, February 07, 2018 – Kingston – Business process outsourcing (BPO) once viewed is a stop-gap job option, has become a career of choice for many bright, young Jamaicans.  In fact, many of them are moving to Montego Bay, which has become the centre of the country’s BPO operations, to take up positions in the sector.

Among them is Junior Rogers, who tells JIS News that “I came specifically from Ocho Rios to Montego Bay to be a part of this rapidly growing industry.”  He boasts that within three years, he was able to rise to a supervisory role at the business in the Montego Bay Free Zone, where he is employed.

“The BPO sector is an important outlet for a lot of school leavers, who can chart a course for their future by becoming employed to one of these companies here in the Montego Bay Free Zone,” he says.

Information Technology Manager, Tamara Smith, tells JIS News that numerous opportunities abound at all levels for the sector and is encouraging Jamaicans, especially young people, to seize the moment.  Ms. Smith, who has been working in the BPO sector for five years, says the experience is very rewarding and that every day there is an opportunity to learn something new.

“I love the fact that it is a fast-paced environment.  I love the fact that this is a sector with prospects for growth and which is filled with great young minds and brilliant ideas,” she notes.

Lodgings Insert

Ms. Smith, who has seven employees under her wings, says the industry is more than just call-centre operations, noting that it is a great career move that will lead to economic stability and a rewarding future.  She fully supports the Government’s focus on growing the BPO industry, noting that it is important that the investments, including human capital, continue to pour into the sector.

“Like other Jamaicans, I am very optimistic about the future and really like what I am seeing here with our young people,” she adds.

Young mother Simone Phillips credits the sector with providing her with a second chance after she had to leave school prematurely when she became pregnant.

“I was a single mother at home and very unsure about my future.  I had a chance meeting with someone who is employed to a prominent company in the free zone and the link was made for me to do an interview,” she tells JIS News.

She says she was pleasantly surprised at the opportunity for growth and the fact that it is not just a call centre as many persons are led to believe.  “I am not making millions, but my life has changed for the better,” she adds.

Curtley-Ann Palmer joined the staff of Sutherland Global Services as a customer service representative in 2014, and four years later she would become one of the entity’s top-performing managers.  She told JIS News in an interview in March 2017, that she worked hard and took advantage of all the training programmes, completing an undergraduate degree at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI).

She was promoted to acting supervisor and then into her current position as an acting account manager.  In this role, she oversees the account she has been assigned and ensures all client relations are smooth. She also works with her team to address work-related challenges.  Ms. Palmer supports the push by the Government to use the BPO industry as one of the key sources of employment of young Jamaicans as part of the national growth strategy.  She also strongly dispels the myth that the industry only employs persons to work in call centres.

“There is something for everybody within this industry. If you studied finance or human resources; there is a place for you,” she notes.

The Government is targeting BPO as a key part of its economic growth and job creation thrust.  A total of 26,000 persons are employed in the sector and the Administration is looking to increase the number to 50,000 in short order.  BPO has the highest employment growth rate of any sector over the last decade, with several new players and rapid expansion in operations.  It has become the number-one source of employment next to tourism in western Jamaica.  Revenues from the industry grew from approximately US$230 million in 2012 to US$400 million in 2015.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Daryl Vaz, says greater focus is being placed on the training of persons, particularly for higher-end activities and high-value positions.  He informs that the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), through its free zones, will be working closely with the HEART Trust/NTA and the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) to develop an incubator geared towards knowledge services and technology-type work.  Additionally, he notes that programmes have been developed by the HEART Trust/NTA for BPO-related courses, on-the-job management training, international accreditation of courses and apprenticeship programmes.

PTS INSERT

JAMPRO, through collaboration with private- and public-sector partners, hosted a job fair in Kingston last November to educate Jamaicans about the sector, and recruit people for jobs.  At the event, the HEART Trust/NTA recruited persons for its three-week contact centre/BPO training programme, while a number of BPO companies conducted interviews for jobs in the industry.  Minister Vaz says the next steps for the BPO sector include areas such as shared services, legal process outsourcing (LPO), and medical process outsourcing (MPO).

The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) says there is high demand for LPO, with law firms utilising outside support services for legal research and other routine work.

“We have actively engaged several international shared-services operators and LPO operators in an effort to get them to expand to Jamaica,” Minister Vaz says.

He informed that JAMPRO has engaged local universities and key stakeholders in a bid to provide details on higher-level jobs available to graduates in the new areas.

“The sky is the limit for the BPO sector, and we intend to capitalise on every aspect of this lucrative industry for the benefit of Jamaica and Jamaicans,” Minister Vaz declares.

By: Garwin Davis (JIS)

 

 

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Bahamas News

CIBC Caribbean warns about ‘smishing’ scam

Published

2 days ago

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January 15, 2025

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Nassau, Bahamas, January 15, 2025 – CIBC Caribbean has warned about an ongoing ‘smishing scam’ targeting clients in The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.

It noted that fraudsters have been sending text messages to persons stating that their accounts were placed on hold or that their cards were locked and requesting them to click on a link and to enter their banking credentials in order to regain access to their accounts.

The bank has reiterated that it does not send out texts or SMS messages with links for clients to click on.

Clients who receive any communication with links should check that they are from a bona fide source prior to attempting to click on them.

The latest fraud attempt is a smishing scam and we are taking the necessary steps to report the fraudulent sites, the bank said.

Smishing occurs when fraudsters attempt to steal customers’ data or money through a text message that tries to trick them into following a link and revealing personal details or login information.

If you believe that you have encountered a suspicious message, just follow these simple tips.

Firstly, don’t click on any links or attachments and don’t reply to the message. Try and establish the legitimacy of the message by getting in contact with the organisation through alternative means, for example, calling the phone number on your printed statements.

If the sender claims to represent CIBC Caribbean, then forward the email as an attachment to our dedicated fraud team (fraud@cibcfcib.com) and delete the message from your system.

It is also a good idea to regularly review all your financial accounts and if you spot any irregularities, contact the bank immediately. Additionally, email security should be reviewed and consider changing your password to a stronger one, using a combination of characters, letters and numbers. Never share your internet banking log-in credentials or One-Time Verification Codes (OTVC) with anyone!

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Caribbean News

U.S. Virgin Islands Sets New Tourism Record in 2024, Welcoming Unprecedented Visitor Numbers

Published

5 days ago

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January 12, 2025

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St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands — The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism proudly announces new record-breaking passenger arrival numbers, which highlight the continued growth of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John as a leading tourism destination.

Closing out the year on a high, December 28 recorded 4,606 passenger arrivals, surpassing the single-day arrival record set earlier in March 2024. This achievement also led to a new weekly passenger arrival record, with over 24,000 arrivals, marking a 5.92% increase over the previous record.

“As a destination, we continue to explore, elevate, and improve, which further supports the ongoing goal to build upon our commitment to be a premier Caribbean destination,” shares Commissioner Joseph Boschulte of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism.

In 2024, combined airline arrivals at Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix totaled 932,265 passengers. This figure surpassed the previous record set during the COVID-19 pandemic by over 100,000 passengers and represented a 16.5% increase compared to 2023.

The newly released numbers culminate a year of exponential tourism growth for the U.S. Virgin Islands, including a record-breaking month of arrivals in March with 106,026, and the introduction or return of airline routes from American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta Air Lines, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country, and United Airlines.

The Territory also experienced a significant boost in cruise passengers, welcoming 1,770,922, resulting in a 9.8% increase compared to 2023. This growth was driven by the maiden voyages of several ships, including Scarlet Lady, Icon of the Seas, Disney Treasure, Explora I, Sun Princess, Explora II, Emerald Azzurra, Celebrity Apex, and Rhapsody of the Seas. The increase in cruise arrivals highlights the ongoing efforts of the Department of Tourism and local partners to strengthen and foster relationships across the industry.

In addition to welcoming more visitors, the territory also received several prestigious industry honors, including:

“As we look to 2025, we will continue to push the creativity of our marketing strategies, which includes advertising, social media, public relations, and partnerships to connect with and keep the U.S. Virgin Islands top of mind for new and returning travelers,” adds Commissioner Boschulte.

Commissioner Boschulte and the Department of Tourism team continue to set their sights on an ambitious future, positioning the U.S. Virgin Islands as the premier destination for travelers seeking natural beauty, cultural richness, and warm hospitality.

For more information about the U.S. Virgin Islands, please visit https://www.visitusvi.com/.

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Caribbean News

CARPHA and TEPHINET Sign MoU to Increase Technical Skills of Public Health Professionals in the Caribbean  

Published

6 days ago

on

January 11, 2025

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Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) renewing their commitment to increase the skills of public health professionals in applied epidemiological interventions, including outbreak detection, emergency response and surveillance analyses.   

Field epidemiology is often described as “applied” or “intervention” epidemiology. It seeks to rapidly address priority public health issues in the community by using the appropriate resources and epidemiologic methods to investigate a problem and make recommendations for public health action, for immediate and longerterm control and prevention.

Dr Lisa Indar, Ad Interim Executive Director, CARPHA reiterated the importance of Field Epidemiology Training Programmes (FETPs) to the Region, ”CARPHA’s novel FETP has the laboratory component added to it and is regarded as a ‘boots on the ground’ programme. It has built much needed human resources capacity for health (HRH) in the small island developing states of the Caribbean.  Participants’ work contributes to the strengthening of the national public health system as a whole, by providing evidence-based information for public health action”.

Dr Carl Reddy, Programme Director, TEPHINET expressed his satisfaction with the outcomes of the regional programme, “TEPHINET is proud to have the Caribbean Regional FELTP as a member of its global network, given the sterling job that it has done in building field epidemiology capacity in an underserved region susceptible to climate change and prone to public health emergencies such as natural disasters”.

Dr Laura Lee Boodram, Head, Caribbean Regional Field Epidemiology and Lab Training Programmes (CRFELTP), CARPHA said, “The tiered training programme is based on a model of building practical competencies, which enables trainees to apply classroom-based learning to solve real world situations”. CR-FELTP training content and learning projects address priority public health issues in the Caribbean, such as communicable and non-communicable diseases including HIV/AIDS; emerging health threats including Chikungunya and Ebola viruses; and laboratory surveillance.

Key objectives of the MOU are:

  • Developing public health human resource capacity through Field Epidemiology Training (FETP)
  • Implementing, following up and supporting epidemiological surveillance activities in communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, injuries and emergency preparedness and response
  • Promoting networking opportunities to support further programme development and sustainability
  • Collaborating holistically by coordinating efficiently on activities, identifying synergies, optimising resources and opportunities, and mitigating contradictory or duplicative efforts.

In January 2017 a technical partnership was formed between Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC)/TEPHINET and CARPHA in order to implement Frontline training as a pilot initiative, against the framework of the CR-FELTP.  To date, 18 CARPHA Member States have benefitted from the Programme.

 

Background:

CARPHA is the sole regional public health agency for the Caribbean, legally established in 2011 by an Intergovernmental Agreement signed by the Caribbean Community member states. CARPHA is responsible for providing strategic direction and analysing, defining and responding to the public health priorities of the Caribbean in order to prevent diseases, promote and protect health and to respond to public health emergencies.

TEPHINET, formed in 1997, is a professional network of 83-member field epidemiology training programs (FETPs) working in more than 100 countries. With a mission to empower and mobilise a competent field epidemiology workforce to serve all people through standardised training, experiential learning, training program quality improvement, mentoring, and knowledge exchanges in order to connect epidemiologists better, faster, and with quality across the globe.

 

Photo Captions

Header: Dr Lisa Indar, CARPHA Ad Interim Executive Director signs the MOU between CARPHA and TEPHINET to strengthen public health and disease surveillance systems management in the Caribbean, while Dr Mark Sami, CARPHA Director Corporate Services looks on

Insert: Dr Carl Reddy, TEPHINET Programme Director, at his office in Atlanta, GA, after signing the MoU between TEPHINET and CARPHA

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