Productivity Ambassadors Named

Several Board members of the Jamaica Productivity Centre (JPC) and leaders from the private sector were named Productivity Ambassadors at the JPC Productivity and Continuous Improvement Conference, held today (October 19) at The Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.

Among the Board members are its Chairman, Metry Seaga; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trade Board, Douglas Webster; Chief Technical Director in the Labour and Social Security Ministry, Damian Cox; and President of the Shipping Association of Jamaica, Michael Bernard.

Included among the private-sector leaders are President of the Jamaica Exporters’ Association (JEA) and Honey Bun Managing Director, Michelle Chong; Small Business Association of Jamaica President, Hugh Johnson; and Executive Director of the HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Wayne Wesley.

Through the Productivity Ambassador Initiative, the JPC hopes to reach out to leaders of various businesses and social organisations to promote the imperatives and benefits of improving productivity for individuals, businesses, industries, sectors and the national economy.

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson, who inducted the stakeholders as Productivity Ambassadors, said the networking and collaboration of the ambassadors are “critical in promoting the changes and mindset necessary for Jamaica to become a more productive nation”.

“This will enable Jamaica to reap the benefits of increased investments, economic growth, the creation of decent jobs and, overall, the standard of living,” the Minister said.

“Productivity Ambassadors are asked to become spokespersons for the productivity movement. Collectively, they have the ears of so many persons. They have substantial influence in the society, their organisations and in their own businesses,” Mrs. Robinson added.

She said the men and women must spread the word “that an increased level of productivity is the key driver of economic growth, wealth creation and job creation”.

“They will utilise the appropriate media to inculcate in every Jamaican that productivity is everybody’s business. Therefore, every Jamaican must make it a habit to produce more goods and service from each unit of input at their disposal,” the Minister urged.

Mrs. Robinson said now is the opportune time for persons who lead organisations and wield substantial influence in society and the community to “join hands with the Jamaica Productivity Centre to convince the wider business community that productivity is driven by quantity and quality of capital, human resources and technology”.

The conference was hosted by the JPC, in collaboration with Make Your Mark Consultants (MYMC).

Meanwhile, Mr. Seaga noted that the partnership between the JPC and MYMC sends a signal to the rest of Jamaica that productivity is important and that there needs to be a general change in attitude towards productivity.

“It sends a message to all Jamaicans that if we are to achieve ‘Five in Four’, it requires all Jamaicans to get on board the productivity train,” he said.

Mr. Seaga emphasised that there should be a greater partnership between the JPC and the private sector.

For her part, Managing Director of MYMC, Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd, said that by the end of the conference, it is expected that participants will have a better understanding and appreciation of “measurement, waste management, organisational transformation, change management, research and innovation and the use of technology for productivity improvement”.

World Bank Country Manager, Galina Sotirova, said that activities such as addressing skills gap with improved education and training and the promotion of research and incentives for firms to innovate can aid in improving the country’s productivity.

The JPC conference is geared at providing public- and private-sector organisations with the tools necessary to maximise efficiency, effectiveness and profitability in a sustained way.