THE BEST OPPORTUNITY for jobs at this point is in the maritime industry and this will be the case for the next ten to 25 years, says director of the School of Advanced Skills at the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), Osric Forrest.
He was addressing a panel discussion held for secondary school students at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed yesterday.
Forrest said the world was changing and one of the sectors that stood out most was the maritime sector. “If we look at the size of the cruise ship industry, it is growing; look at transportation in terms of moving persons across several small islands, then the ferry industry comes into focus.”
He said that internationally there was a trend of scarcity of jobs on land, and the maritime industry was perhaps the one industry with a shortage of labour.
“Look at entertainment. We have the jet ski industry and tourist attractions which focus on the seas . . . . That is the prediction by most industrial analysts – that [will be the trend] at least for the next 25 years,” he said.
The signature seafarer programme offered by CMI is the professional courses in navigational engineering for people who maintain vessels. Forrest explained that over the years CMI has expanded the programmes to offer courses in logistics.
“We have Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes . . . . We also have programmes for Customs officers and law enforcement.”
Forrest said that Barbados and the Caribbean were poised to take advantage of jobs in the industry as several islands, including Barbados, have students studying at CMI. “We currently have five students from Barbados, and will be recruiting another six from the Bridgetown Port Inc.,” he explained.
