Port Authority, Montego Bay Free Zone Stage Open Day and Job Fair

The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) in conjunction with the Montego Bay Free Zone (MBFZ) recently hosted an Open Day and Job Fair on the grounds of the MBFZ in Montego Bay.

The event was part of the Port Authority’s drive to promote greater awareness of its role and contribution to national development and economic growth. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Assistant Vice President,

Marketing and Communications at the Authority, Kimberley Stiff, said the event was geared towards attracting persons seeking investment and employment opportunities.

Jobseekers had an opportunity to learn about various companies to determine if their skillsets matched the talent that the various companies are seeking to recruit,” she said.

Miss Stiff explained that the event was also helpful for persons who are looking for business process outsourcing (BPO) spaces.

“Within the Zone are several providers of global services who are driving the growth of the sector. They shared the benefits and advantages of being in the Zone with potential investors,” she pointed out. The MBFZ, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, is a management company with 665,000 square feet of space under its supervision, serving the BPO, warehousing/distribution and manufacturing sectors.

Sixty-five per cent of the spaces are held by the Port Authority while the other thirty-five per cent are owned by the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ).

Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Community Engagement at the HEART/NSTA Trust, Natalie Robinson, said the participation of the Trust in the event was in support of the global services sector.

“The global services sector is one of the high-growth sectors for outsourcing and logistics, so it was natural for us to be there to support the effort,” she said.

“Our Managing Director [Dr. Taneisha Ingleton] gave the keynote address and we had displays of the various programmes and services that we offer at the Trust,” she noted.

The Marketing Director said that the event was also used to highlight services offered through the Heart College of Innovation and Technology, which is based in Montego Bay.

“These include robotics, cybersecurity and animation programmes as well as the culinary arts and construction. We wanted to highlight the depth and breadth of the offerings that the Trust has,” she explained.

The MBFZ is a subsidiary of the Port Authority of Jamaica.