NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K. Peter Turnquest on Tuesday encouraged persons entering the workforce to focus more on private sector rather than government jobs.
“The era of finishing school and looking for a good job with government is over,” Minister Turnquest said.
The deputy prime minister’s comments came yesterday as he delivered the opening remarks at the Royal Fidelity Bahamas Economic Outlook at the Baha Mar Convention Center.
The Minnis administration, since being elected to govern in 2017, has emphasised the importance of the private sector and its growth of the country’s economy.
Minister Turnquest said, “We want to empower our workforce to be highly trained [to] secure private sector jobs and to create their own jobs. We need the private sector to lead and to drive our economic development.”
President of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, Jeffery Beckles, while agreeing with Turnquest, said if a person does take on a government job, it should only be used as a stepping stone to fund their real goals or investment.
“We need to teach people to look beyond the job,” he said. “How can I take this job that I have, learn as much as I can learn so that when an opportunity does come by, I can springboard into something that I like doing or wanted to do.”
Minister of Education Jeffery Lloyd recently encouraged senior high school students to seek jobs in the technical and vocational field and yesterday, Beckles echoed Lloyd’s sentiments, stating that for far for too long persons in these fields have been ignored.
“I think the Minister [Lloyd] is on point when he is encouraging young people [and] encouraging young parents [to] take advantage of the vocational training we can get, “Beckles said.
“I can tell you, you can build your house all you want, you still need someone to fix your air condition, you still need someone to fix electrical challenges, you still need someone to fix your plumbing…you can’t fix it with a bunch of lawyers and doctors.
“You need technically trained and vocationally trained individuals who can actually provide those services. That’s what helps to build the economy, make it strong.”
