Underscoring the importance of a skilled labor force, Senator Dion Foulkes said critical is the training of young people for improved performance and productivity. The National Training Agency (NTA), with its approved center status from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), can work toward this mandate.
Approval ratings from the UK-based Institute of Leadership and Management are "indeed a testament to the high standards and quality of the work of the NTA, whose mission is to create a workforce that is transformative, highly productive, service oriented, globally competitive and responsive to the dynamics of the Bahamian economy", Foulkes said.
He was a presenter at the Billionaire Roundtable, held at the Grand Hyatt, Baha Mar resort on Friday, June 30, 2017.
Foulkes congratulated Showalter Johnson and the Commonwealth Embassy on hosting what he termed a very important Billionaire Roundtable. Commonwealth Embassy is a business organization that serves marketplace leaders, pastors, business professionals and emerging politicians in over 30 countries.
He said that the vision statement for the Billionaire Roundtable: "Jobs - Jumpstart our Business Start-ups" was very timely and appropriate. Foulkes' presentation included labor relations, jobs creation and training of workers in The Bahamas.
As minster of labor, he stated that his primary objectives are to encourage the creation and sustainability of jobs, maintain industrial harmony in the workplace and ensure the country's workforce is properly trained.
Minister Foulkes has responsibility for the Department of Labour, the Consumer Protection Commission, the Price Control Commission, the Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality and the National Training Agency.
The main focus of the labor department is to provide an effective and efficient conciliation process; decentralize and improve the employment exchange; compile and provide relevant statistical data; and establish a labor market information system, among other things.
Turning to the National Training Agency, he explained that it is not a school and it does not compete with other educational or training facilities. Rather, it was established as an administrative, coordinating, awarding and certifying, monitoring and regulatory body.
The NTA is to also partner with the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) to provide team leadership/supervisory management training aimed at increasing the level of productivity in the workplace and employee performance.
ILM is globally renowned as the UK's leading provider of leadership, coaching and management qualifications and training, emphasizing hands on, applied learning, combining theory and practical application in a relevant context. "With regard to the ILM, our National Training Agency is the only government entity or institution, globally, that has achieved status as an ILM-approved center," he said.
In view of its mission, phase one of the agency's work focused on job preparation, competency-based skills development and certification for young Bahamians, between the ages of 16 (out of school) and 26, who are disadvantaged academically and who need assistance with basic certifications and with job preparation.
"To invest in our young people, the training is free and the only criteria for registration is to be a Bahamian between the ages of 16 and 26, and needing help in developing job skills and in achieving basic entry level competency based qualifications and appropriate certifications," he said.
Achieving ILM-approved center status and the ability to deliver globally renowned leadership/management qualifications is a significant accomplishment for the NTA.
The NTA's focus is on delivering workplace-assessed leadership/supervisory management training that focuses on productivity and performance. Workforce productivity presents a challenge for most businesses and government agencies and departments, the minister noted. In view of this, the focus of the ILM offerings will address the matter of productivity by concentrating on developing the competency-based skills of team leaders, supervisors and managers, as these are the persons charged with ensuring and monitoring workforce performance and productivity.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian