On an earlier blog the point was made that Barbados should be selling services given the high level of investment in education. The fact that we have been unable to do so suggest we have not done the job of educating our citizens for the global market.   The irony is that we are being beaten out of the unskilled jobs as well offered by the Canadian farm labour program similar opportunities.

In the same way the country remains in a tizzy as to the correct approach to take to give impetus to the agriculture sector to bring a level of food security.  The fact that we are churning out grads with a mindset that to earn their way in the world they must work for organizations, what conclusion can we make. Barbados does not have a significant entrepreneurial class. BU goes as far as to suggest that the self employed class is not highly regarded.

The few consultants we have can we say they represent a pioneering breed? Is there an opportunity for other Barbadians to follow? These are questions Barbadians have to answer. Why do we educate ourselves – in the case of Barbados – allocate a significant percentage of the national budget to education, if the output will not generate contribution to GDP. The fact that we have to ask the question maybe an indictment already.

Despite the pessimistic outlook as to where Barbados finds itself to earn its way in the world, BU was pleased to read of two Barbadian consultants blazing a trail.

For example, government hired a pair of Barbadians to provide communications services. The Ministry of Public Finance paid former Barbados minister Clyde Mascoll more than $32,000 to prepare three speeches from 2010 to 2012, including a “Strategic Policy Statement for Premier” in December 2010, as well as budget speeches in June 2011 and 2012.

Before that, Cabinet paid communications consultant Reudon Eversley, a former editor of the Barbados Advocate, more than $97,000 from February 2008 to May 2009. Cabinet provided copies of Mr. Eversley’s contracts (being the only entity to provide copies of consultant contracts), which showed that he was tasked with putting together and implementing “a communication strategy with the aims of creating a virtual omnipresence that will give constant high visibility to the work government is doing”.

Further, “The approach will focus on identifying credible media contacts, who are friendly with government and working closely with them. At the same time, a plan will be put in place to counter hostile communication which deliberately seeks to undermine the government’s record.”

Additionally, the website of Mr. Eversley’s firm May Hinds Consulting says that Mr. Eversley “fine-tuned the core message that drove the campaign on constitutional modernization” and “authored almost every major policy statement delivered by the leader of government business”  (CayCompass)

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