Executive director of the Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC), Lisa Gale, has raised concerns over the declining number of Barbadians taking advantage of the CARICOM Skilled National Certification.
Gale highlighted the shifting trends in applications and called on Barbadians to use the opportunities offered by the certification.
She told the Weekend Nation the CARICOM Skilled Nationals Programme began in earnest in 2007, with Barbadians being the predominant applicants for the first decade, however, there’s been a shift in application trends.
“We had predominantly Barbadian nationals for the first ten years or so. Then, we saw a rise in applications from Guyanese over a three- to four-year period leading up to 2019,” she noted.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 resulted in a lull in applications. However, by 2021, a new trend emerged, with Jamaicans becoming the largest group applying for skilled national certification.
“We actually want to make a call to Barbadian nationals. Do not see this as a nondescript or a nonthing. You do not have to use it just for travelling. It is something that can benefit you even for your employers or a change of employment.”
She said the certification provides a competitive advantage in the job market, as it signals to employers that the individual has been recognised as a skilled national within CARICOM.
“A person may want to see, ‘Oh, that person is a skilled national. This person has the stamp of approval from CARICOM.’ So we would encourage Barbadians to come and get their skilled national certificates from the Barbados Accreditation Council.”
Gale acknowledged that a cultural mindset may be influencing the reluctance of Barbadians to apply for the certification as “many Barbadians do
not see themselves working within the CARICOM region”.
“Instead, they tend to migrate to North America and other destinations.”
However, she believes that increasing awareness through targeted outreach can change this trend.
“Every time we have had information sessions, we have seen a number of those persons that we have targeted come for skilled national certificates. So essentially, all we have to do is to have another information session. We have already gone through discussions of which sectors we are going to be focussing on and where we will go.”
Significant factor
Another significant factor affecting the application numbers among Barbadians is the category under which they apply. There are 12 approved categories for skilled national certification, with discussions underway to expand it further. Gale noted that Barbadians overwhelmingly apply under the “graduate” category, while non-nationals typically apply under other categories such as “artisan”, “household domestic”, or “security worker”.
“You can tell why Barbadians are not necessarily applying for those categories. They will get their work here in Barbados under the category of a security officer or a household domestic without the need for a skilled national certificate. So if they are not travelling, then it is not that attractive to get a skilled national certificate. And that is why we have seen that trend with Barbadians versus other nationalities.”
“We are planning more information sessions to raise awareness and demonstrate the value of this certification. Barbadians need to recognise that this is not just a document for travel; it is an endorsement of their skills and qualifications that can open doors within and beyond Barbados.” (CLM)
