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Two publications by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), which address the issue of climate change, are to be tabled in Parliament shortly by Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Minister, Hon. Robert Pickersgill. The two documents - ‘2012 State of the Jamaican Climate, Information for Resilience Building’ and ‘2012 State of the Jamaican Climate, Information for Resilience Building, Summary...

The Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) is retrofitting more than 63,000 square feet of space at the Montego Bay Free Zone for outsourcing and other operations. Making the announcement on Thursday, February 28, at a breakfast forum in Montego Bay, State Minister for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, said the move is part of continued efforts by the...

Thousands of students from across Jamaica gathered at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium on Friday February 22 to celebrate Jamaica Day 2013, in a colourful display of dance, music, speech and song. It was the first national gathering to mark the day intended to foster a spirit of patriotism. The festivities, held under the theme ‘Celebrate Jamaica: We On It’, saw...

Improvement works, totaling $35.4 million, have been completed at the Newlands Basic School in Portmore, St. Catherine. The project was jointly funded by the Government and the European Union (EU) under its Poverty Reduction Programme II (PRP II) facility. Residents of Newlands and neighbouring communities also contributed the equivalent of approximately $11.9 million to the overall cost. The Jamaica Social...

The Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation (HZPF) has received a well-needed donation of some $4 million, which will go toward protecting animals that are found only in Jamaica. The funds are being made available under the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, and will go toward the Zoo's biodiversity project, ‘The Establishment of Sanctuaries for Protected...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is reporting an increase in the number of Jamaican workers with professional or vocational certification last year. Programme Director for the PIOJ's Plan Development Unit, Richard Lumsden, said that figures from the 2012 Statistical Institute of Jamaica's (STATIN) Labour Force Survey, showed that 23.7 per cent of the labour force has such qualification. The...

Some 2,000 fisher folk from six parishes have benefitted from the donation of safety gear, as part of the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI). The beneficiaries will also receive training under the initiative which is spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. An additional 400 fish vendors will receive igloos and training in food safety and sanitation, under the...

Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says conserving energy and reducing the country’s energy bill, will become critical to the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “The Government has to spend less, has to use less energy, has to be a more efficient user of energy going forward, and we are going to commit to...

Government Senator, Lambert Brown, is supporting a call for legislation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which seeks to safeguard the welfare of persons in the workplace. “The Occupational Safety and Health Act is essential in protecting the workers and their families. It is good for employers (as it) will save them from having to face compensation (and) lost...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) will, on Friday, February 15, host several stakeholder partners at a workshop to review and finalize preparation of the Medium Term Socio-Economic Framework (MTF) for the 2012 to 2015 period. The workshop, scheduled for the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston, beginning at 8:30 a.m., is a continuation of the series of consultations by the...

Work is to begin soon at the Princess Margaret Hospital in St. Thomas as the Ministry of Health moves to improve security at the facility. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, said that a contract valuing $13.6 million was signed on February 1 to put in perimeter fencing at the hospital. The work is being funded by the National Health...

The 2013 staging of the Public Sector Leadership Development Conference, organised by the Management Institute for National Development (MIND), will be held on March 7 at the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston, starting at 8:30 a.m. Under the theme: ‘Leadership in Action: Supporting the Vision, EnGENDERing Transformation’, the event will address public sector leadership, including strategies to foster a leadership...