Minister Wilfred Abrahams has come under fire for comments – see video. Does the blogmaster agree with him? Of course! The real issue is not the soundbite, it is the silence around the deeper problem.
Let us start with the obvious: Barbados is a 2×3 country with a small economic engine. It cannot absorb 100% of the graduates pouring out of UWI, Cave Hill each year. As others have done before them, they have to “shop around” to explore regional or international opportunities where their skills might be better matched. The commentary, if it is to be applied broad brush to UWI graduates, indicts the system to prepare them for global mobility.
Then there’s the other side of the issue. Barbados has openly acknowledged a skills deficit with an ageing population and is looking to immigration to fill the gap. If we are importing talent while Abrahams is exhorting our graduates to look outside of Barbados labour market, something is not adding up. It suggests a serious planning issue, one we have discussed often in this space, one that spans education, labour, and national development.
Where is the strategic alignment between what we teach, what we need, and where we want to go over the next ten to twenty years?
Are we there yet?
Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Abrahams is defending Government’s role in the free movement arrangement with Dominica, St. Vincent, and Belize, set to begin October 1st.
Responding to public concerns about security, Mr. Abrahams says Barbadians can be assured that strict protocols are already in place at the Grantley Adams International Airport, and that authorities will not be caught off guard by high-risk travelers.
Mr. Abrahams was speaking at a joint BLP Christ Church East and South Branch Meeting and also spoke directly to Barbadians about utilizing the free movement to their advantage – Source: Starcom
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.