NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd., (RCCL) executives confirmed on Thursday that the international cruise company made good on its promise to provide 200 job opportunities for Bahamians.
“We committed last year to the government that we would hire 200 people per year for our positions and today we have just passed the 200 mark. Today we recruited about 25 people and we are very excited about that,” Michael Bailey, CEO, RCCL revealed during a press conference Thursday.
“We are also hiring for additional positions at Coco Cay where we are hiring an additional 125 people.”
The venture – which is being facilitated by the National Training Agency (NTA) – is an ongoing agreement with government to hire Bahamians to work on board the mega cruise line and its exclusive port at Coco Cay in the Berry Islands.
Gadville McDonald, Executive Director, NTA, said he is pleased with the progress of the programme.
“When RCCL was introduced to us and they expressed their interest in hiring over 200 Bahamians we were amazed at that particular opportunity for your Bahamians. The NTA focuses on workforce development; so we are excited about this relationship with RCCL,” he said.
“It [the relationship] has demonstrated to produce consistent results and they have committed to eliminating all barriers to employment and so we are excited about the future; looking forward to exceed these numbers next year.”
Bailey expanded on the types of jobs available on board the cruise liner and at Coco Cay.
“There are jobs that go from engineering, to maritime, guest services, entertainment, a large amount in the food and beverage areas,” he said.
“It’s a great opportunity for young people and they learn great skills in tourism and hospitality.”
Bailey confirmed that the Coco Cay development will open its doors in early May 2019.
He also revealed that RCCL executives will meet with the prime minister today, to discuss its progress.
“We have meetings tomorrow [Friday] morning with the prime minister for me to give him an update on where we are with the various products and to also talk to him about some other ideas that we have which can increase tourism numbers to The Bahamas,” Bailey said.
“It’s a journey of communication. It’s very important for us to communicate what we are doing as a cruise company and I think the communication has been very open and government has been very receptive. Government has always been accommodating and that’s what is really important; us being able to have shared ideas.”
Bailey revealed that RCCL will also support community development on the Berry Islands through financial donations to assist with the construction of a community center.
“Considering our relationship with the Berry Islands we wanted to give something back and hopefully it is something that will be quite helpful for the people.”
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