More than 50 percent of the thousands of construction workers in the country will be ill-prepared to capitalize on billions of dollars in opportunities if the Contractors Bill is not soon finalized.
President of the Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) Stephen Wrinkle asserts it's never been more important for the country to ensure this bill - proposed to license and regulate the industry - gets passed.  His comments come as Baha Mar revs up construction and Atlantis gears up to go ahead with a multi-million project.
"Clearly we're not prepared to accommodate Baha Mar and Atlantis with the labor we currently have without additional training," he told Guardian Business on Monday.  "Both are extremely prestigious for the industry and the country and it [speaks] to the [need for the] passage of the Contractors Bill and a training program, otherwise (we will) be faced with huge imports of skilled labor.
"We certainly need to get our own house in order to accommodate these giant projects."
Wrinkle said the Ministry of Works is presently finalizing the draft of the bill in order to submit it to Cabinet, after input by the BCA, insurance representatives and the Attorney General's Office.
As far as he sees it, there should be no further impediments to passing the bill.  However, there has been one delay after the other in recent years as construction workers, in the meantime, grapple with myriad issues.
Wrinkle argues it is even more important for contractors in The Bahamas to be up to international standards with regards to licensing and surety obligations ahead of the economic turnaround projected.  The bill proposes to do just that, as well as ensure that Bahamian contractors are considered first for projects.
The introduction of the bill coincides with one of the biggest economic slumps the nation has ever suffered through, stemming from a U.S. housing and credit crisis that has zapped consumer confidence and dried up prospects for commercial developments.
To date, a number of these projects have been delayed or canceled altogether, with restart dates only now being offered.
Just Monday, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham confirmed that the shelved Hurricane Hole project was now back on track at mega-resort Atlantis.
"Kerzner International expects to commence the development of its new timeshare resort and expansion of the Hurricane Hole marina this year," read Ingraham's speech on the Budget debate 2011/2012.
Wrinkle yesterday welcomed the news, saying it would speak to employment opportunities for construction workers.
"The BCA will continue to lobby on behalf of contractors for better positions," he said.
A $225,000 program signed into effect two months ago is expected to make the local construction industry more competitive internationally over the next 18 months.  Called the "Strengthening of the Bahamas Contractors Association", the project is funded with a $150,000 grant from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and $75,000 from the BCA.

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