Overseas Employment Programs

Requesting countryProviding country
Saint LuciaJamaica
Topics: 
EMPLOYMENT
Labor migration
Employment policies and programs
Activity: 
On-site
Date: 
02/21/2011 to 02/25/2011
Description: 

Three delegates of the Ministry of Labor, Information, and Broadcasting of Saint Lucia visited the headquarters of the Jamaican Department of Labor with the purpose of gaining insight on strategies and policies for improving the effectiveness of their own program. The delegates were able to exchange experiences with the various units linked to the management of the Canadian Farm Program thus making possible the observation of the activities of the Medical, Finger Printing, Savings, Welfare Services, Computer and Processing units.
 
In the words of the Saint Lucian delegates “the observational tour served both as a refresher and also as an opportunity to learn valuable lessons on ways to improve the admission of the Program.” Among the main findings, the delegation pointed out that the success of Jamaica’s program was a result of tools and techniques used such as: commitment of staff and government to the program, proper allocation of resources, proactive and well-tuned Liaison Service in Canada, establishment of resourceful Database, and the creation of a Welfare Services Unit.
 
In their final report, delegates highlighted that some tools and techniques that can and should be replicated in Saint Lucia’s program are: the development of a functioning employment database, the creation of a welfare services unit, and the upgrade of the Liaison Services. Some of the next steps that will be taken are: obtaining support from the Government for new initiatives, reviewing the employment unit, conducting a full analysis of resources needed, and incorporating new activities in work plan. Overall, delegates agreed that the visit was well-planned and well-executed and met all their expectations.

Relevant documents: 
Status: 
Realized
Announcement number: 
4