THIS WEEK, I want to look at wrapping up the current series of articles on human resources.

In the previous articles in the series, I mentioned and expanded upon a proposed tracking mechanism that would serve to monitor the development of our human resources.In addition to this, one area that we desperately need to look at in terms of transforming our human resource environment regards our engagement with our Diaspora.

The Jamaicans have, within the CARICOM region, gone the furthest, from what I’ve observed and researched a little, in not simply courting but creating a mechanism for engaging Jamaicans living abroad, the Diaspora Advisory Board.

What I want to note here is that among other things, the Board is mandated to “Increase the human resource potential available to Jamaica through skills and attributes of returned nationals.”

This month, the DAB will be hosting its third Jamaica Diaspora Conference in Ocho Rios, under the theme “One Nation: Jamaica and Its Diaspora in Partnership.”

Now the argument can be made that Jamaica is physically closer to North America where the bulk of its Diaspora – as does that of Guyana and virtually every other Caribbean territory – resides, and hence a sustained physical engagement with Jamaicans in America and Canada is more viable.  That argument might have been valid about 15, maybe even 10, years ago but in this era of high-speed broadband Internet, and free or cheap VOIP provided by virtually every online e-mail provider, and Skype, we have the tools at our disposal to leap distances, to coordinate across continents as we have never had before.

‘…What we need is a database that ascertains or determines the kind of labour force that is available and needed across all sectors.
This would,to recap our key solutions with regard to preparing our human resources for the future,be the basis for a system that can track our human resource capacity from secondary education to the workpool…’

If there is a single tool the use of which is designed, or applicable rather, to the enabling of a network and database of skills within the Diaspora, it is the Internet.  And there is no time like the present to proactively employ it in gathering in the scattered skeleton of our peoples so that we could operate,as much as possible, as one nation.

Subsidiary to this idea is the specific engagement of remigrant retirees, something I’ve explored in columns previous to this series.  Skilled, retired persons are a collective treasure trove of human resource skills and information, and a structured programme would serve to categorise and deploy those skills, the majority of which would be voluntary, in enhancing our human resource capacity.

Another area of human resource development, as I touched upon in the last article, had to do with the management of foreign direct investment in developing human resource skills locally.  My solution with regard to FDI(Foreign Direct Investment) – and indeed this is the subject that really inspired the original article in this series – was the establishment of a mechanism to funnel funds into a training and skills development mechanism, a consolidated fund that would distribute resources as required within whatever area of development.

To be more specific modify that – and I have to state here that I am not speaking in my capacity as Chairman of GO-Invest – we should have a system where we could geographically map our human resources and skill sets.  When an investor is seeking out information on Guyana, my belief is that the same sort of information that we make readily available with respect to the distribution of natural resources, should also be available with regard to human resources.

With regard to donor funding and HR development, the reality of the situation now is that so much of the funding is sectoral and based on infrastructural development. What we therefore have is a situation whereby the tide of funding is one which does not raise all boats equally, something a holistic approach to negotiation and implementation would seek to correct, in this specific case, labour development.

However the particulars finally turn out, we should be able to link specific projects with human resource development not only at all levels within the sector a project is concerned with, but also – as much as possible – all related sectors as well.  For example, if a grant is secured that deals with HIV – a health sector issue – the conditions upon which it is granted should be  in such a way that it should ideally aid in the development of related sectors such as education and labour.

Finally, all this would be contingent upon a greater sophistication with regard to labour information and intelligence.   What we need is a database that ascertains or determines the kind of labour force that is available and needed across all sectors.

This would, to recap our key solutions with regard to preparing our human resources for the future, be the basis for a system that can track our human resource capacity from  secondary education to the workpool; facilitate the enhancement of our human resources by the continuous enhancement of locally available skills and the proactive involvement of those from the Diaspora; creatively utilise funding from both foreign direct investment as well as donor funding to prepare our workforce, whether local or imported, for upcoming industries; and, most importantly, develop a culture of forward planning policy formulation when it comes to preparing our human resources for the future.