For 42 years, Melton Bascoe has been a familiar face at the Ocean Village Shopping Centre in St. Ann, where he is responsible for keeping the grounds clean. Armed with a leaf blower, rake, broom and gardening tools, he carries out his daily tasks, which include clearing trash and litter, removing weeds, cutting grass, trimming and watering plants and carrying...

Ninety-one Jamaican entrepreneurs have received skills training and business support through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Inclusive and Resilient Agri-Food System in Rural and Peri-Urban Territories of Kingston Project. The project targeted vulnerable groups, mainly women and youth, in the Kingston Metropolitan Area. The FAO implemented the initiative with Junior Achievement Jamaica and the Maia...

A chance conversation with a friend about gaining a job set the stage for what has turned out to be a life-changing opportunity for 24-year-old Kamal Kerr.  The youngster, who up to about a year ago was unemployed, now works at a major hotel in the Negril area, after receiving skills training in food and beverage under the United States...

Jamaica is not being spared the effects of climate change and shifting weather patterns. As such, the Government has been investing in the water sector’s infrastructure at an unprecedented rate. This, according to Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda. Speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday (April 26),...

Recent amendments to the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Act 2016, are to benefit local and international stakeholders. Legal Officer, Kristin Lewis, of the Legal Services Unit of the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA), provided details during a recent sensitisation session, titled, ‘In the Zone’. She noted that amendments were made to clarify that business activities within the zone made...

Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) President, John Mahfood, says the country is on the “right track” towards achieving higher levels of sustainable economic growth and development. He tells JIS News that the Government’s record trillion-dollar budget for fiscal year 2023/24, represents the culmination of significant economic reforms undertaken over the past eight years. The President notes that the reforms...

Engineers who practise locally are being encouraged to register with the Professional Engineers Registration Board (PERB) to receive certification and be in compliance with regulations of the field. The PERB is an agency of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for the regulation of the practice of engineering in Jamaica. The Professional Engineers Registration Act, 1987,...

After experiencing what she described as a difficult year in 2022, during which she battled stag- two cervical cancer while living in less-than-ideal conditions, Sidonie Eldemire has received the gift of a brand-new house for Christmas. The two-bedroom unit, situated in Tower Hill, St. Andrew West Central, was constructed at a cost of $6 million and donated by Arc Properties...