Hill BANKER AUBYN Hill on Wednesday proposed the training and export of professionals from Jamaica, arguing that this would drive up the standard of education at all levels in the country to match world standards, as well as provide the economy with vital remittances.
Mr. Hill, the group managing director of National Commercial Bank, identified several exportable professional and occupational groups, including nurses, teachers, accountants, computer programmers, hospitality professionals, sailors and cruise ship service workers. These, he said, were in high demand in North America and Europe.
He noted that there is a demand for half million nurses in the United States over the next seven years.
"I suggest that we take a radical approach to education and train the best of our people to be the kind of professionals that are fit for export," Mr. Hill told the audience attending a public lecture at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Mandeville. The lecture is organised by the university's W.D. Carter Library of Carib-bean Economic Development, established in memory of a businessman who was an advocate of Christian-based education.
"There will be a kind of backward integration, if you will, whereby world demand from our overseas customer countries (business and institutions) will be driving the standard of education from the tertiary level through the secondary and into the primary and basic school levels of our educational system," said Mr. Hill. "What a wonderful way to get the marketplace and the highest world-class standards to drive our educational system and final product."
INITIATIVE AND COMMITMENT
In considering the topic, 'Positioning Education as Jamaica's Major Economic Development Tool: Building Private Sector Initiative and Commitment', Mr. Hill called on the private sector to join Government in a long-term partnership to improve the standard of education and lift Jamaica from the bottom among Caribbean countries in terms of the literacy rate. He pointed to the commitment of the NCB group to invest $150 million to establish the Jamaican Education Initiative (JEI) fund last year, and he complimented similar initiatives by other companies such as Cable & Wireless and Grace, Kennedy group. Mr. Hill said plans were afoot to establish the NCB Human Development Institute to train professionals in the NCB group and the parent body, AIC.
The NCB head urged the local private sector to follow the example of business houses in India in forming educational trusts similar to early trusts that provided seed money to start many high schools in the country. He argued that there first had to be a surplus of educated people and professionals before an export demand arose, adding that in the long run the private sector and the Government will benefit from significant remittances. According to Mr. Hill, Government could foster private sector investment in building training institutes by offering education vouchers which students could transact on a competitive basis.
