Jamaica Productivity Centre Hosts Forum On Nov. 11

The Jamaica Productivity Centre (JPC) will host its second quarterly Productivity Forum on Thursday, November 11, starting at 2:00 p.m.

The virtual event will be held under the theme ‘Productivity, COVID-19 and Human Capital Development’.

Chief Technical Director at the JPC, Tamar Nelson, told JIS News  that low productivity has been a challenge in Jamaica over the last decade.

Recognising that productivity is the key to sustained economic growth, the JPC continues to bring national attention and greater awareness to the matter of productivity, and the important role it plays as the country pushes towards a path of recovery and becoming more resilient to future catastrophes.

Ms. Heron pointed out that this year’s theme is in line with one of the recommendations coming out of the COVID-19 Task Force that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) has put together to increase the human capital contribution to productivity and economic growth.

Topics for discussion during the forum include managing the virtual classroom; lack of devices, Internet and technical skills; productivity and the impact on education and human capital; current labour productivity and human capital trends; COVID-19 impact, response and JPC findings; success stories and local initiatives around bridging the gap; COVID-19 vaccination and the impact on labour; teacher/student engagement, and current human capital gaps.

The JPC is the national organisation responsible for promoting and facilitating productivity improvement in Jamaica. It is a tripartite organisation comprising the Government of Jamaica (GOJ), the Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF) and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU).

This partnership reinforces the principle that growth in the Jamaican economy can be best achieved with an alliance and full cooperation of government, employers and workers.

Panellists will include Ms. Nelson; President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), Winston Smith; President of I-Create, Dominic Summers; Acting Managing Director of HEART/NSTA Trust, Novelette Denton Prince; and National Mathematics Coordinator/Tertiary Support Officer at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Tamika Benjamin.

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon Karl Samuda, is expected to bring greetings.

The event will be streamed live on the social media pages of the Labour Ministry and the JPC.

The event will also be carried live on Power 106 FM and the Jamaica News Network (JNN).