ST. THOMAS — Government Economist Lauritz Mills\u00a0on Wednesday told Governor Kenneth Mapp, other government officials and business leaders that employers in the territory have difficulty filling jobs for skilled workers in variety of areas. She said if the territory is to\u00a0attract higher paying jobs in technology and financial services, local education and training opportunities must be significantly improved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to focus on higher skills jobs in order to grow the economy,\u201d Ms. Mills\u00a0said during a meeting at Government House during a meeting\u00a0of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee, a group comprised of government officials, business people and community leaders organized to identify and develop public policy that will best enhance the Virgin Islands\u2019 economic development, according to Government House.<\/p>\n
Her recommendations included the development of certificate training and apprenticeship programs in technical fields, greater emphasis on science and technology in schools and more collaboration between the private and public sectors so that workforce development is aligned with the needs of the business community.<\/p>\n
According to Government \u00a0House, the Mapp-Potter administration is now working with the Education and Labor departments and the University of the Virgin Islands to establish new vocational skills programs at the former HOVENSA training center recently acquired by the government.<\/p>\n
Improving standards of service and enhancing the work ethic were also discussed and many agreed it remained a significant problem in both the private and public sectors.\u00a0Labor Commissioner Catherine Hendry said instilling a better work ethic in young people was an ongoing effort of her department and that she was encouraging employers to mentor summer students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been working since I was 14 and was taught the importance of work, but not all our youth have that opportunity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Mapp stated that the territory\u2019s infrastructure was broken and that we must address long standing problems with power, roads, healthcare, insurance and education in order to move forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking to invest significantly in our infrastructure to support future investment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee will meet again in June.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ST. THOMAS — Government Economist Lauritz Mills\u00a0on Wednesday told Governor Kenneth Mapp, other government officials and business leaders that employers in the territory have difficulty filling jobs for skilled workers in variety of areas. She said if the territory is to\u00a0attract higher paying jobs in technology and financial services, local education and training opportunities must […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":37727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,11,191,2474,147],"tags":[1480,4912,121],"yoast_head":"\n