Letter of the Day | Skilled manpower issues are bigger than Chinese garage

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I refer to a recent article in The Gleaner on the ‘new’ Chinese garage in Kingston and a letter published last week titled ‘Jamaicans must be trained and hired’. I would like to draw attention to a crucial but often overlooked sector: the heavy earth-moving equipment industry.

At present, it is virtually impossible to find competent, locally trained, and licensed mechanics capable of servicing heavy equipment. Modern machinery — particularly equipment manufactured from 2010 onwards – requires mechanics to have access to licensed dealer or manufacturer software simply to diagnose issues. As a result, local companies are often forced to purchase older models purely for serviceability. However, these machines are less fuel-efficient, produce higher emissions, suffer more frequent downtime, and incur greater costs for spare parts compared to newer alternatives.

Although a highly specialised field, heavy equipment maintenance is critical to land development – which, in turn, is a driving force behind economic growth and job creation.

Regrettably, institutions like HEART/NSTA Trust do not offer specialised training in this area. I had even identified two promising local candidates whom I was prepared to sponsor for specialised training at Red River College in Canada. Unfortunately, they were unable to meet the programme’s basic entry requirements due to their failure to pass English and/or mathematics at the secondary school level.

This raises a broader concern: How are we graduating students from high school without fundamental competencies in English and mathematics? Shouldn’t passing these subjects be mandatory before a student is allowed to graduate?

Meanwhile, local operators are left struggling with outdated equipment, while trying to compete against Chinese firms that are able to import new machinery – sometimes, it appears, duty-free – along with skilled personnel. To add insult to injury, the capital cost of even our substandard equipment is inflated by import duties and taxes on machinery, spare parts, fuel, and lubricants.

We urgently need to rethink our national priorities – particularly in the areas of education, vocational training, and our tariff and tax policies.

Is it any wonder that fewer and fewer Jamaican-owned entities are able to participate meaningfully in heavy construction and large-scale land development?

These issues must be addressed if we are serious about safeguarding our future.

MARK KERR-JARRETT

Montego Bay