Government Job Initiative To Employ 20 People

Minister of Economy, Trade & Industry Kim Wilson and Minister of Government Estates & Information Services Neletha Butterfield held a press conference today [Aug.17] to provide information about a new job initiative.

Minister Wilson said $300,000 was earmarked for the job creation initiative, which will compromise an eight to ten-week programme that will provide a weekly salary of not less than $600 per week for up to 20 persons registered with Labour and Training.

“To lessen the burden on the Financial Assistance budget, persons currently receiving financial assistance will feature prominently in the initial employment cohort. The value of the salary will be deducted from their financial assistance award during the period of their employment,” said Minister Wilson.

The small works projects may include, but will not be limited to, cleaning services, landscaping, maintenance and painting.

Minister Butterfield said that the jobs will include painting the exterior walls of six single storey sub post offices, painting the exterior walls of Seaview Facility and St. David’s Preschool, and painting thirty of the red roadside Post Boxes located throughout the Island and clearing out debris at the Old Sea Cadets House.

Pictured below, left to right, Minister Wilson, BSBDC Lucrecia Ming, Small Works Contractor Bobby Carty of General Construction & Landscaping and George Outerbridge Acting PS, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Minister Butterfield’s full statement is below:

Good Afternoon:

I am delighted to join my colleague, Minister Wilson, as we share information about an initiative that is sure to be of tremendous benefit to the participants.

The Ministry of Government Estates and Information Services is, of course, pleased to be a part of the new Small Jobs Initiative which is designed to address the growing level of unemployment and to generate short term employment opportunities on the Island.

The programme, a partnership involving a number of Government Ministries, including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Youth, Families and Sports and the Ministry of Community Development, will rely on “shovel-ready” small works projects supplied by the Ministry of Government Estates and Information Services.

The Small Jobs Initiative is a fitting example of how partnership among Government agencies can make a meaningful difference to people looking for gainful employment in difficult economic times.

The role of the Ministry of Government Estates and Information Services in the programme will be as follows:

• To provide project specifications and approve the purchase and use of supplies tools and equipment;
• To monitor and manage the field work component of the minor works programme; and
• To visit the various sites and to sign off on completed works

The following are among the list of jobs identified for the the successful applicants:

• Painting the exterior walls of six single storey sub post offices: Mangrove Bay Post Office, Somerset Bridge Post Office, Southampton Post Office, Devonshire Post Office, Flatt’s Post Office Harrington Sound Post Office,

• Painting the exterior walls of Seaview Facility at 12 Aeolia Drive, Devonshire and St. David’s Preschool at 18 Battery Road, St. David’s.

• The jobs will also include painting some thirty (30) of the red roadside Post Boxes located throughout the Island and clearing out debris at the Old Sea Cadets House in Hog Bay, Southampton, removing graffiti and possibly boarding up and securing these buildings.

The Ministry of Government Estates and Information Services looks forward to ensuring that this joint initiative is successful and will endeavour to provide projects that will enable this programme to prosper.

Thank you.

Minister Wilson’s full statement is below:

Good afternoon,

I am delighted to be joined by the Hon. D. Neletha Butterfield, MBE- Minister Government Estates and Information Services to highlight a significant job creation initiative.

You will recall that Premier the Hon. Paula A. Cox JP, MP, recently lead in the passing of the Public Treasury administration and payments Amendment Act 2011 which lead the way for the sums currently held within the fund to be used for various programmes designed to assist people in getting back to work.

From these funds, the sum of $300,000 has been ear marked for the job creation initiative which I am here today to announce.

Ladies and gentlemen, stimulating and sustaining an economic turnaround and getting people back to work is the number priority for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and for this Government overall.

In order to do this, we recognize that it will require some very innovative, and perhaps even some very unconventional methods.

It will also take the cooperation of everyone in Government and in the private sector, from the top right along down to ensure that we introduce tangible solutions to address the challenges we face.

In speaking of challenges, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the recent industrial unrest that has dominated the media over the past few weeks. Social scientists argue that there is a direct correlation between the economy and industrial relations.

As the economy shrinks and budgets are cut, inevitably the pressure builds to retain jobs as well as to maintain working conditions, rates of pay and all of the associated benefits. Unions will inevitably work harder on behalf of their members despite the surrounding circumstances to retain jobs.

In light of all of this, I think it is fitting that we are here today to talk about adding new jobs and releasing some of the pressure on our community by getting people back to work.

So today I am pleased to announce the launch of an initiative that we call the Small Works Jobs Initiative.

This is a joint initiative with the Ministry of ETI and the Ministry GEIS and in a moment Minister Butterfield will expand a bit on her Ministry’s involvement. But essentially, here is how the programme works.

Currently the number of unemployed and underemployed persons who registered during the recent unemployment registration drive is 1081.

In partnership with the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation, the Department of Labour and Training, and as I have previously stated, the Ministry of Government Estates and Information Services, we have introduced this employment scheme which would generate short-term employment opportunities for a significant number of persons registered with Labour and Training.

We envision this to be an eight to ten-week programme that will provide a weekly salary of not less than $600 per week for up to 20 persons registered with Labour and Training.

To lessen the burden on the Financial Assistance budget, persons currently receiving financial assistance will feature prominently in the initial employment cohort. The value of the salary will be deducted from their financial assistance award during the period of their employment.

These persons will be employed by an independent contractor who has graduated from the BSBDC’s Construction Incubator programme to complete minor works on Government projects – such as schools and other facilities.

It is important to point out that Government has invested heavily in the BSBDC Construction Incubator Programme.

This project will provide these businesses with much needed work as well as the ability to develop greater business experience.

The small works projects may include, but will not be limited to, cleaning services, landscaping, maintenance and painting.

The Estates Department will provide a list of minor works projects, together with job specification details inclusive of the materials and supplies required for each job, and Minister Butterfield will offer further details in a moment.

I should note that this initiative is already moving along according to schedule, with a vendor from the Incubator Programme already having been chosen via an RFP.

And I am pleased to announce that MarCarty General Construction & Landscaping was the successful company chosen to oversee this project.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to take a moment to acknowledge Mr. MarCarty who is the owner of MarCarty General Construction & Landscaping.

The Government has entered into a MOU with the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation who in turn has entered into an agreement with the vendor, to undertake a cluster of work. The Agreement sets out strict criteria associated with the award and the vendor will receive a pre-determined project management fee.

Again, the labour pool, by way of contract as criteria for the project, will be retained directly by the selected vendor but must be recruited from persons registered with Labour and Training.

By way of update, just last week a job fair was held to recruit the 20 individuals from our Labour and Training data base who will participate in the Small Works Job initiate.

I am made to understand that the relevant Social Insurance, HIP and Pension forms were completed for all of the persons in attendance at the job fair and once the 20 persons have been selected by the vendor, they will be ready to begin work.

The BSBDC will oversee and manage the vendor relationship, providing assistance with general project accounting, inclusive of payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, reporting and other administrative functions.

Ultimately our desired outcomes of the scheme include the following:

• Short-term job boost for unemployed persons;
• Project work for Construction Incubator graduate(s);
• Work ready data to inform The Department Labour and Training’s training strategy; and
• Greater customization of work-ready programmes and referral systems to better assist those persons who have deficiencies in various areas that may be impacting employment opportunities.

Ladies and gentlemen as the Minister responsible for labour and workforce matters, I understand the magnitude of the task at hand.

Bermuda, like many other countries around the world both large and small are fighting to strengthen their economies.

Some of the most prosperous nations have been humbled by this economic downturn.

For us, we recognize that the challenges may be great, but they are by no means insurmountable.

And despite the criticism from pundits in some segments of the community, this is not a detached Government – quite the opposite in fact.

We have our finger on the pulse and we will not be deterred from striving forward and enacting immediate and practical solutions which will aid those in need.

We recognized the need to lend greater assistance to the unemployed by aggressively identifying employment and work ready programmes that will get people back to work and we are delivering.

Now I would like to turn it over to my Ministerial colleague Minister Neletha Butterfield who will expand even further on the types of works that will be undertaken.

Thank you.

#BermudaGovernment #EmploymentInBermuda

Category: All, News