TCI News
Employment Services launches job registration drive campaign, 18 events across TCI
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Tuesday June 26, 2018 – Eighteen Summer Registration Drives will be staged throughout the Turks and Caicos in an effort to capture a truer understanding of who is either unemployed or underemployed according to the Employment Services Department and Minister responsible for Employment.
The team, led by Deputy Premier, Sean Astwood today announced that efforts began in Grand Turk at Three Degrees since 9 a.m. and will continue until the end of August 2018.
Deputy Premier and Minister of Border Control and Employment, Hon Sean Astwood at the press conference held this morning said the Summer Registration Drive is not about people being employed for the Summer, but rather a campaign promise and commitment to seek out individuals who are not working or are looking to have better, more stable jobs. The Deputy Premier said the launch during Summertime is aimed at getting high school and returning university graduates into their system.
“So it is permanent employment that we are seeking for you and we are trying to get as many persons in the country as possible who are interested in finding jobs, who is actively seeking a job that we have that information that can allow us to make that connection with potential employers who are looking for persons. It allows companies to get the necessary workforce that they need.”
There are currently 105 people on the unemployment register of the Turks and Caicos, of which 25% are individuals who work from time to time, according to Labour Commissioner, Edwin Taylor. 
“The real, genuine unemployment number is consistently appearing to us, over these last few months as we dig deep into the numbers, to be really a lot lower than what has always been floated.”
While an accurate unemployment rate for the Turks and Caicos continues to be elusive, Mr. Taylor explained that the Summer Registration Drive will assist in getting the statistics right.
“Part of our efforts this year in doing the registration drive is to come up with an accurate figure. We have seen the statistics come out from the National Skills Audit but it encompassed people who were not legal in the country…” Mr. Taylor added, “It’s our estimation that we are somewhere around below three per cent, even below two per cent (unemployment rate) because if we look at our current registration we are under 120 (people), so if you have 105 persons unemployed based on our statistics, that is a very low figure… that would rate far below anywhere in the world what we have here in the Turks and Caicos; but it just to justify those numbers to make sure they are an accurate number and so this will give us the opportunity to ensure that happens.”
Acting Deputy Commissioner of Labour, Alpheus Smith said the overarching goal is to get every Turks and Caicos Islander employed; and shared that often the problem lies with islanders who shy away from competing for jobs and often do not show up for interviews arranged for them by Employment Services.
“When we set up the interviews, we would like to encourage them to show up to the interviews. History shows that if ten persons were listed for an interview, sometimes only three show up. Then the same persons who didn’t show up for the interview they two weeks later show up at our office, still looking for a job. These are some of the challenges we are faced with…”
By Thursday, the Employment Services Department team will move into South Caicos for the Drive there set for the District Commissioner’s Office, beginning at 9 a.m.
The Summer Registration Drive is also in anticipation of the job boom expected for the island of Providenciales in particular; the Minister said the count on how many jobs are coming is a work in progress.
“Actually we are compiling that information because we have requested from the different Developers who are well into the process of their development – that is they have already gotten Development Agreements and already broken ground – to get for us their business staffing plan that will allow us to know exactly the number. Now, we have already gotten some of that information but we are compiling it and soon we will get that information out the public.”
There are a few more initiatives being devised and prepared to be tabled in Cabinet from the Employment Services Department, which will include two Public Private Partnership agreements involving the Young Corporate Alliance and the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association.
The Ministry of Education was also named as a partner in developing a new policy to ensure Turks and Caicos Islands graduates are ideally absorbed into the job market.
The Summer Registration Drive press conference was held at the Office of the Premier in Providenciales.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Friday, 29 May 2026: The Crown Land Unit (CLU), in coordination with the Informal
Settlements Unit (ISU) and key partner agencies, conducted a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 21 May 2026, in sections of the Blue Hills and Stammers Run areas of Providenciales. The exercise focused on the serving of Section 22 Notices and Letters of Illegal Occupation on parcels where unauthorised occupation and development activity were identified.
The operation was led by the Crown Land Unit, with coordination and support provided by the ISU. Additional support was provided by the TCI Border Force, while security for the exercise was provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. All agencies worked collaboratively to ensure the operation was carried out in a safe, orderly, and controlled manner.
The exercise was conducted pursuant to the mandate of the Crown Land Unit under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown Land. During inspections conducted across multiple parcels within Block 60502, several unauthorised structures
constructed of concrete and timber were identified. Occupied structures were served with Letters of Illegal Occupation, while Notices of Illegal Occupation were affixed to unoccupied structures or served where appropriate.
In total, fourteen (14) Letters of Illegal Occupation and thirteen (13) Notices of Illegal Occupation were served during the operation. Notices and letters were either delivered directly to occupants or posted on structures in instances where occupants or the persons responsible for the construction were absent.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government wishes to emphasise that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown Land constitute breaches of the Crown Land Ordinance and undermine lawful land administration and planning processes.
The Government remains committed to protecting Crown land, preventing unlawful occupation, and supporting safe, orderly, and sustainable development across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Multi-agency operations such as these form part of ongoing efforts to uphold the rule of law while advancing broader objectives related to land management, public safety, and community development.
Turks and Caicos, May 29, 2026 – The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority has quietly implemented a significant change to how critical aviation notices are distributed, shifting the publication of its Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, from the United States system to a United Kingdom-based platform.
In a statement issued to the aviation community, TCIAA advised that effective May 13, 2026, at noon, all Turks and Caicos Islands NOTAMs began being published through the UK NOTAM Office, operated by National Air Traffic Services (NATS), under the U Series classification.
The move means pilots, airlines, dispatchers and flight planning teams can no longer rely on the Federal Aviation Administration’s traditional NOTAM source to locate current operational notices for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
NOTAMs are essential aviation communications used to alert pilots and operators to temporary changes that could affect flight operations,
including runway closures, navigational aid outages, airspace restrictions and other safety-related information.
According to the Airports Authority, the transition is part of a broader aviation modernization programme and will remain in place until TCIAA commissions its own Aeronautical Information Management and Aeronautical Message Handling System capability.
The authority stressed that the change does not affect flight operations or aviation safety.
“At this time, there is no interruption to air traffic operations or safety-critical services,” the TCIAA said, noting that operational information will continue to be communicated through established Air Traffic Control channels.
The authority urged airlines, charter operators, flight planners and other aviation stakeholders to ensure their operational teams are aware of the new publication source to avoid missing important notices.
While largely administrative, the shift represents another step in the Turks and Caicos Islands’ effort to modernize its aviation infrastructure and align more closely with international aviation information management standards.
The Airports Authority thanked stakeholders for their cooperation as the transition moves forward.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
Turks and Caicos, May 29, 2026 – A fatal dog attack at one of Providenciales’ most popular beaches has resulted in swift enforcement action, with authorities identifying and charging the owners of the animals involved.
The Department of Agriculture says a group of dogs attacked and killed another dog at Taylor Bay Beach in Chalk Sound on May 18, in an incident witnessed by beachgoers and visitors.
Investigators moved quickly, determining that the dogs involved were registered and owned by residents of the Chalk Sound community. Accompanied by officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, Agriculture officials visited the owners and issued citations
under the Dog Control Ordinance.
Each owner was fined a total of $1,500, including a $1,000 penalty for allowing a dog to roam in a public space without a leash and a $500 fine for having a dog exhibiting aggressive behaviour in a public area.
While the attack ended with the death of a dog, authorities noted that the outcome could have been far worse had a person, child or tourist become caught up in the incident.
Minister of Agriculture Zhavargo Jolly said the government takes incidents involving uncontrolled or aggressive animals seriously and praised the swift response by enforcement officers.
“While this was an isolated incident, it is unacceptable and swift enforcement action was taken by the Department of Agriculture and the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force,” said Jolly.
The minister stressed that residents and visitors should be able to enjoy public beaches safely and that dog owners have a responsibility to keep their animals secured and under control at all times.
The Department of Agriculture is reminding pet owners that dogs must be leashed in public spaces and properly registered. Officials are also encouraging owners to ensure their animals are microchipped as part of responsible pet ownership practices.
The incident remains under review, but authorities say the case demonstrates that violations of the Dog Control Ordinance will result in enforcement action.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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