Okanagan College Media Release - June 26, 2007

The Hon. Derrick Kellier, Jamaica’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, today announced new services to be introduced in the Okanagan to support the expected arrival later this year of skilled workers and College students from the island nation.

A new Jamaican liaison office and consular services, operating under the Jamaican High Commissioner to Canada, will be established in Kelowna, Kellier said today at a press conference at the Grand Okanagan.

“These are in service of the exciting new initiatives that will see many Jamaican workers and students come to the Okanagan as a consequence of the agreements developed between Okanagan College, the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission and my government and various agencies and institutes in Jamaica,” Kellier observed.

Skilled Jamaican workers have already been interviewed by Okanagan employers, with some expected to arrive this fall. Jamaican students have applied to Okanagan College and should start arriving in September.

“We want to ensure that these workers and students are supported with appropriate services and that employers and the community have a point of contact with the Jamaican community,” explained Kellier. Location of the liaison office and exact staffing details have yet to be determined.

Kellier also announced a new consultancy project for Okanagan College, focused on helping institute a micro-credit program for Jamaica. Professors with expertise in small- and medium-size enterprise will work with officials from Kellier’s ministry to develop a program to help unemployed and underemployed people get the financing necessary to start small businesses.

“We see this as a tremendous opportunity to help answer an issue in our country, and we look forward to drawing on the expertise at the College to help us do so,” said Kellier.

Okanagan College and the Jamaican Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce will work with other agencies, such as the Canadian International Development Agency, to explore the potential of establishing a furniture manufacturing company in Jamaica to meet the needs of the burgeoning development in the hotel sector, Kellier revealed.

“There are thousands of rooms being created on our beautiful island, and we believe the ingredients are there, with some assistance, to develop an industry in furniture manufacturing,” said Kellier. “Okanagan College can play a critical role in helping us develop business plans and look at meeting the training needs of such an enterprise.”

“The connections that we have made in Jamaica and within our own community to help all this happen are powerful,” says Okanagan College Board of Governors Chair Janet Shaw. “Several people have observed that the model of co-operation that has developed between the Economic Development Commission and our College is one that bears emulation. It certainly drives home the College’s understanding that part of our role is to contribute to the region’s social, cultural and economic development.”

“The announcement of these services for workers and students, as well as the extension of opportunities for co-operation between our region and the Caribbean, is heartening news,” says Economic Development Commission Chair Ross Langford. “Finding ways to answer the skills shortages we are experiencing in the Okanagan and throughout B.C. has been a focus for our agency. Having partners such as Okanagan College and then connecting with Jamaica in such a strong way makes it all possible.”

“We’re looking forward to what’s ahead for these partnerships,” says Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd. “This is positive on so many levels, from answering skills needs, to helping the cultural diversification of our community, to improving connections between the Okanagan and other parts of the world.”