JAMPRO Official Says GSS Project Will Help to Close Skills Gap

Programme Director, Skills Development for the Global Services Sector (GSS) Project, Marjorie Straw, says the initiative will play a significant role in closing the skills gap for the global digital services.

Speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on August 28, Miss Straw, who operates out of Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), said the project will also help Jamaica to compete at the next level into the higher value-added segments beyond business process outsourcing (BPO).

The five-year project, being financed through Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan support of US$15 million, is focused on upskilling and preparing persons working in the sector for higher-end jobs in areas such as information technology-enabled services (ITES), knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), and legal process outsourcing (LPO).

Miss Straw explained that the project will strengthen the skills development framework and is intended to increase employment within the outsourcing sector from 36,000 to 50,000 by 2023.

“The project will focus on two areas, with component one looking at strengthening the skills development framework, so that there is a consistent set of skilled workers, and component two will look at all that is required within the ecosystem to ensure that the sector can be competitive locally and internationally,” the Programme Director said.

She explained that component one, valued at an estimated US$7.9 million, includes enhancement of HEART Trust/NTA’s job-readiness curricula to align training to GSS entry-level standards; and a train-the-trainer programme targeting 1,000 persons to deliver the curricula.

“The project will provide support for training through the Competitiveness Fund Programme and has established a Global Services Skills Board (GSSB) to monitor and, ultimately, endorse all training and major initiatives for the industry,” Miss Straw informed.

She added that the GSSB will also identify skills needed, set standards, chart career pathways and support the implementation and design of a talent platform.

The Board will also have an advisory role to the project, ensuring that training is demand driven and that there is efficient job placement and an increase in employability ratio.

“Component two will be driven mainly by Jamaica Promotions Corporation and will look at the value proposition for the country and how we reposition the country to be more competitive in the higher value-added segments,” Miss Straw said.

“It will also focus on: attracting investments, increasing exports, the institutional, regulatory and incentive frameworks that govern the GSS; and the development of a digital management system, which will serve as a one-stop-shop platform to consolidate trade and business information and strengthen decision-making,” she said.