One of the key factors affecting the success of The Bahamas as a leading financial services center, along with the high calibre of the local work force, is the ready availability of such trained staff. The growth of The Bahamas’ economy is placing new demands on the industry as workers are presented with more employment alternatives, and the pool of candidates possessing prerequisite skills is being reduced.
The Bahamas Financial Services Board has targetted education programmes as one of the areas to which it must devote resources. This has to be an integral part of its overall mandate of promoting the financial services industry in The Bahamas. The Ministry of Education and private learning institutions continue to promote open dialogue with the business community to ensure that specific needs are being addressed, and BFSB intends to capitalise on this open approach.
Last year, BFSB introduced its “Guide to Careers in the Financial Services Industry”, targeted at 9th and 10th Grade students. BFSB’s objective in this endeavour was to promote the job opportunities available in the industry and to provide the nation’s future business leaders with the background to make early decisions in their chosen fields.
This industry publication has been distributed within secondary schools throughout The Bahamas, working in collaboration with the Bahamas Ministry of Education and the Bahamas Counsellors Association. In accepting the first copy of the “Guide to Careers in Financial Services”, then Minister of Education & Youth Senator the Hon. Dame Ivy Dumont said *”This is a long overdue publication and it will have excellent application within the schools targetted. The Ministry of Education & Youth certainly supports this initiative and will work with BFSB in ensuring wide circulation within the school system — both here and in the Family Islands.”*
The Careers Guide is available on line, accessible from BFSB’s home page, under Publications.