Bahamas Launches Tourism Apprentice Program

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and the Bahamas Hotel Association will provide 110 paid apprentice jobs for Bahamians as part of the government’s temporary-job program, starting Dec. 14.

The project will create 2,500 jobs that will last for six months, at which time 20 of the 110 apprentices will be offered full-time positions.

“This program will deliver the kind of valuable people in our sector that we know have been missing for some time,” Minister of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace told the Nassau Guardian.

It also will put some people to work and “allows us to begin to develop a pool of people we can call upon to fill vacant jobs,” he said.

The unemployment rate in the Bahamas currently stands at 14.2 percent, according to the Bahamas Department of Economic Statistics. In addition to the ministry of tourism, hotels, restaurants, attractions, ground tour operators, marinas and other tourism-related businesses will take on apprentices.

During the six months, apprentices will be paid the established minimum wage of $210 per week. Applicants must be between 18 and 30 years of age and computer literate. Applications are available at www.tourismtoday.com/apprentice.