As work on the much-touted $3.7 billion Ginn development gets underway in West End Grand Bahama, an official with the investment company recently expressed concerns about whether there will be enough labour to meet the demand.
But Ginn director, John Davies, said, “As part of this process we are going to set up a training programme to train craftsman, to train bulldozer drivers, people to work on the golf courses, people who can do the intricate work of shaping the golf courses.”
He said employment opportunities were already coming on stream.
“We are employing about 40 Bahamians at the present time in site clearing operations and that number is going to rise gradually as we move into more of the earth work and underground utilities as we progress into this year,” Mr. Davies said.
It is projected that during construction more than 3,700 persons would be employed and upon completion of the project over 4,000 new jobs will be created
The labour challenge is one that government officials have also pointed to.
It’s why they are partnering with Kerzner International and Baha Mar on an apprenticeship programme aimed at helping to meet the challenge.
But last week, during an interview with The Bahama Journal, Labour Minister Shane Gibson said he was not concerned about a possible shortage of labour.
“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we have all of the labour skills required for all of the development under construction at this time,” Minister Gibson said. “Some of the skills will definitely have to be imported, but for those areas where the skills do exist, I want Bahamians to step forward and be a part of these huge developments.”
Mr. Davies noted that Ginn will require workers with a wide range of skills.
“We will need lots of construction craftsmen,” he said. “At the same time, we will have all the people working on the underground, and also on the other portions of the project. This will continue to move along at a very swift pace once we start.”
Once the main condo building starts, Mr. Davies said this will provide the peak for labour on the site.
“As we move along there is going to be an increasing need for services from the local community and from Freeport and from everywhere around [West End],” he said.
“From the persons who own the lunch trunks for the workers around the site to the people who have restaurants, and taxi drivers, and so on. There will be a need for almost every type of service during the construction phase of the project.”
He also spoke about other challenges that a growing demand for employment will create.
“This creates another opportunity because if we have over 4,000 employees, it is pretty certain that all of these employees will not live in Freeport, and there is literally no accommodations in West End at this time, which means we are going to have to build an employee facility for accommodation,” he said.
Mr. Davies noted that this construction will provide an additional boost to the local businesses in the settlement.
The Ginn development, which is creating some excitement in the West End community and in the wider Grand Bahama, is estimated to inject a cumulative GDP contribution of over $4 billion in the Bahamian economy over the 20-year life of the development.
As government officials did during the signing of a heads of agreement for the project back in December, Mr. Davies expressed confidence that the development will reenergize West Grand Bahama.
“The residents of West End who have suffered over the past few years with hurricanes and the closing of the Jack Tar Resort many years ago will be able to come back to life again,” he said. “There are going to be a great number of opportunities for everyone in the community.”
The scope of the project is extensive.
The project includes: 4,400 condominium/hotel units; 870 single family residential home sites; two championship golf courses and clubhouses; two large marinas; a private airport; a casino; swimming pools and water park facilities; tennis complexes; beach clubs and spas and various commercial undertakings and retail businesses which will be operated by Bahamians.
By: Daphne McIntosh, The Bahama Journal
