How to be Ready when Panama Buss

[Assasin]

So what are the Port Authority currently making off the wharves? How many years of losses?

Again I will tell you that all the new ports build in the Caribbean including Falmouth is build with Private money from the Shipping company with some government support, so I don't see where your problem is.

The fact is we will never realise value added until we make attractive products and sell it, so don't just spew. We have the product to sell it is just that we are not selling it. There is no reason why we can't take more money off the tourist that is visit, it is just lack of foresight and laziness. Some other ports do it so why not us?

If you know your tourism history you will know that Banana boats was a main contributor to tourism in Jamaica. We have so many unused natural port that you don't even have to mention Tourism with Shipping industry but you continue to do it as if it is one or the other.

Many people live handily off the tourism industry and not only trinkets are sold and it is not only white or brown man. It provides a good source of living for many even better than many that will get jobs on the wharfs. It provides an oppurtunity for local entreprenuers even if selling is trinkets.

It is easy for an JUTA driver make more than 500 dollars US a week in profit and that is a decent amount and more than many American workers are making and some make a LOT MORE.

If Jamaica wishes to progress value added will have to be added? Do you think that Orlando benefit from the huge traffic and you think that is trinket town too?

[Assasin]

What is your point????? You have none. The economy of Falmouth and Jamaica has and will benefit from this port and if managed right can do so for the next 50 years with income to help to facilitate more training.

You are totally wrong for number one calling the place a trinket selling facility and you fail to see the importance of tourism in our economy. As simple as that.

[Don1]

You are missing my point and I'm getting tired of this.... let's agree to disagree... or at least to move on despite the misunderstanding

[MdmeX]

Did you take the canal tour? It is something to behold. Did it in 2010 Dec.

The amount of ships on a given day is a site to behold! Good commerce.

[Don1]

Ok tourism expert.... Gwaan Bartlett!!! LOL

[Islandman]

Yeah did the Canal tour and quite a bit more. Went into the interior and did the rainforest thing as well, bought some overpriced trinkets from de native people dem

I have a link there so will probably go back in a year or two. Maybe I should wait till the expansion finish.

[Assasin]

"bought some overpriced trinkets from de native people dem "

A tourist like you we need a Jamaica. LOL. talk bout moving up the chain.

[Don1]

Trinkets tuh di Werl!!

[1of1]

what about a dry dock

[Don1]

Ships do need that

[Don1]

Lee Kwan yew again?

Well certain truths are self evident

[Willi]

Especially STARships. How yuh tink dem upgrade the Enterprise?

Captain Kirk to di wirl... Free Enterprise...

[Don1]

Captain...We have entered orbit. Thrusters at Stationkeeping

[Karl]

lol !

yuh ah konfuse.. remittance from people wheh live and have life a Farin wid remittance from people wheh deh pon ship but who life ah Jamaica..

yuh have export and yuh have trickle dung..

...are the jobs in Jamaica? ...or outside of Jamaica?
Joke, yuh a joke!

[Don1]

Logistics 101: Backward/Forward Linkages in the Value Chain

Big Opportunities In Maritime Sector
Published: Monday | April 16, 2012 1 Comment

Fritz Pinnock, executive director of the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), gave eye-opening figures last Thursday during a presentation at the CMI to sensitise stakeholders and investors about the various job and investment opportunities in the sector.

Pinnock was joined by Jamaica College (JC) principal, Ruel Reid, and HEART Trust/NTA Executive Director Dr Carolyn Hayle as all three entities have come together to bring awareness to the sector's bright potential - potential which is even greater in light of the expansion of the Panama Canal, slated to be completed in 2014.

Pointing to "electro-mechanical technician" as one occupation arising from the industry, Pinnock said that maritime was about more than ports.

"This position can earn, in Belgium, €7,000 a month as a starting salary. Here in Jamaica we can target 2,000 of these people times €84,000 per year. That's over J$20 billion in salary. That's just one small position," he argued.

Pinnock noted that when an individual works on a ship, his way is paid so he have no expenses like rent. Putting it in context, he suggested that those workers could give back more to the island.

"I'm sure 40 to 50 per cent of that (investment) could come from remittances. What an impact that would have on Jamaica's economy!" he said.

Strategically positioned

Pinnock used The Philippines as an example of a nation putting the maritime sector to good use.

"Today, over 400,000 jobs and over 15 per cent of their GDP comes from just remittances from the maritime area. Jamaica, that is so strategically positioned ... there is tremendous opportunity here and the opportunity lies beyond just the expansion of the physical port facility," he said.

He pointed out that the industry was integrated as many of the engineers who come back from tours are snapped up by companies in other fields.

"During the recession, the Airports Authority was putting out ads 'preferably CMI graduates'. Why? Because they were coming with discipline and they were multi-faceted. Here is an industry that can hit the job market in a big way and we're doing more talking than action," he said.

Also addressing the meeting, Reid read the latest International Labour Organization executive summary report which stated that there was a global backlog of unemployment of 200 million.

"In addition, more than 400 million new jobs will be needed over the next decade to avoid further increase in unemployment," he noted.

The JC principal opined that Jamaica's economy was not meeting its potential and that the maritime sector could help change that.

"We have another opportunity through maritime to catch up and be the Singapore of the West. We want to make this our vision of 2030 - to use these maritime possibilities to be the catalyst to make the right structural adjustments to our economy," he said.

Reid asked guests to dream of a sector that could generate upwards of J$2.5 billion additional foreign exchange earnings, and a sector that could produce upwards of 30,000 high-paying jobs.

Thinking post-2014, he also envisioned six per cent annualised GDP growth.

Hayle, in her contribution, encouraged potential students in the industry to not only get certified, but to know how to apply their knowledge in the real world.

"You can't have a skill without being able to have the academic underpinnings that translate that knowledge into real-time opportunities," she said.

Major opportunity

Hayle noted that the global distribution system for any economy was made up of elements dealing with the air, sea, and information and communications technology.

Business process outsourcing, which she said more foreign investors were asking her agency about, is a major opportunity in the global market as it entails the IT component.

She was of the view that the collaboration of the three local entities would get Jamaica's graduates ready.

"So if we have the skills on the ground in terms of maritime, with the HEART skills, with maritime as well as the IT and logistics that are taught here at CMI, you can see that we have great opportunities," said Hayle.

The event expanded on the memorandum of understanding signed between the CMI and JC last year, with JC being a feeder programme for the CMI.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ead/lead4.html

i.e. A classic example of how to reorient our backward 1960s style education system based on a rote learning/regurgitation model....towards a modern, tech focused, high level skill based platform aligned to support NATIONAL development priorities.

A small start to the way this approach is maximized in advanced Asian countries like South Korea, Taiwan & Singapore

In other words Jamaica... don't follow this lead AND.... DON'T complain when swarms of Chinese engineers, technical managers, logistics automation experts etc take mostly all the high level jobs.

Then again we could always be content with low level packing, grading, labeling & clerical type opportunities.... dem deh ah job tuh along wid taxi drivers and trinket sellers