Barbadians were recently given opportunities for employment overseas in the cruise ship sector.
The Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector, in collaboration with the Swiss Italian cruise line MSC Cruises and the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., (BTMI) held a recruitment fair at Pelican Village, Princess Alice Highway, St Michael. This fair was conducted by the Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service (BECCS), the Government’s lone public employment agency, which seeks to provide Barbadians with opportunities for employment, in both local and regional areas.
Acting Director of the BECCS, Moreen Bowen told the Weekend Nation, “So, we work with local employers who would come to us and say, ‘I have a vacancy, can you advertise it on our behalf?’ Some persons would not name the company, others would and we would post the ad using the various (platforms), whether social media or traditional media. Persons apply, then we do a pre-screening process,” she said.
She also revealed that the BECCS provided a similar service to employers where they have established liaison services, those being in Miami, the US and Toronto, Canada.
While the agency helped employers with the vetting process, Bowen stated that it also has a resource centre, where it facilitated aid to the public in preparing their approach to potential employers.
“And we also do workshops where we help people with preparing their resume, preparing them for the world of work in terms of the interview techniques and steps, how to dress, how to conduct yourself. We will do things like work ethics. We will go into sometimes, if it’s a request of a particular client, things to do like anger management, conflict resolution, team building, just basically getting you ready for the world of work.”
In addition to these workshops, the BECCS helps people with applying for visas, work permits and obtaining health assessments.
As it relates to the demographic who have benefited from the organisation’s services, Bowen noted that there has been a range of people in their clientele, some of whom have provided testimonials on their experiences with the Government agency.
“So, you get people who’ve now left school and not sure what direction to go in. We will sit and we will work with them. You might get some person who might have just lost a job and not sure what direction to go in. So, we call those persons who are transitioning from one job to the next. We work with them, so we have a variety,” she said.
The BECCS also assists people with disabilities and works with organisations such as the National Disabilities Unit and the Barbados Council for the Disabled. Bowen noted that to provide suitable service, staff has taken part in training such as learning sign language. (ZJ)
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