Graduates pose for a group photo with Senator Russell
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Freeport, The Bahamas -
Standard Training and
Certified Watch Keepers (STCW95) Graduation Ceremony Remarks Delivered by Sen. Julian Russell, Chairman, Hotel Corporation of the Bahamas on March 18th, 2015:
The Global Cruise Industry will be
watching closely in anticipation, to see how well the first successful recruits
from Grand Bahama Island will deliver on the Bahamas’ reputation as a regional
tourism leader, and as one of the world’s leading cruise ports of call.
As foreshadowed by the Right Honourable Prime
Minister, in a media conference held at the Grand Lucayan Beach Resort,
December 15th, 2014, Grand Bahama Island has now welcomed a luxury
Cruise and Stay product departing from West Palm Beach thrice weekly via the
Grand Celebration.
On February 3rd, ninety days after
the ill-fated accident at the Freeport Harbour, the 1700-passenger Grand
Celebration launched its service and since the recent launch, February 3rd
through March 16, 2015, the Grand Celebration has made 21 calls and delivered 35,035
passengers, compared to the 27,825 passenger arrivals via the ill-fated Bahamas
Celebration in 2014. These numbers
indicate a marked increase in passenger arrivals of 7,210, or 26%.
And in accordance with the Letter of
Agreement between the Government and the Ship Owners, Grand Celebration will
provide 300 exciting job prospects for the Bahamian Seafarer interested in a
career in the cruise industry; as well as increase the number of passengers to
be transported by taxicabs.
The Bahamas Celebration’s projected impact to
the local economy is calculated to $27 million, plus $4 million in new
employment for a total of $31 million.
As the first 57 candidates to
participate in the required training to be hired aboard the Grand Celebration,
you received an onboard orientation, Wednesday, March 4th, 2015.
Therefore, you have had an opportunity
to see for yourself the friendly professionalism extended to all guests, by the
international crew members from 37 different countries; as well as the high
standard of maintenance and quality of the vessel.
And of course, you were recipients of
an inspiring Ministerial Charge, delivered by the Minister of Tourism, the Hon.
Obie Wilchcombe.
Ladies and Gentlemen: this initiative signals the official
entry into a global industry and the pursuit of maritime careers at an
unprecedented level.
The Cruise Industry is a fast growing
sector that has an annual passenger compound
annual growth rate of 6.55% from 1990 - 2019. To date the growth strategy have been
driven by larger capacity new builds and ship diversification, more local
ports, more destinations and new on-board/on-shore activities that match
demands of consumers.
There is a lot of room for growth as
all the cruise ships in the entire world filled at capacity all year long still
only amount to less than ½ of the total
number of visitors to Las Vegas.
Seven new
ships will be added in 2015 with a total passenger capacity of 18,813.
From 2016 to 2017, 15 more new cruiseships will come online adding
39,637to worldwide passenger capacity, or 8.1%. The ships from 2015
to 2016 will add $3.6 billion in annual revenue to the cruise
industry.
Today, Thursday, March 19th,
marks another important milestone in the process as the first 55 candidates to
graduate from the STCW95 program.
It was not long
ago, on Monday 23rd, February 2015, when some 641 applicants
participated in the Job Fair held at the Grand Lucayan Convention Centre, you
are among the 57 applicants, who have been selected to complete the first
training session, which commenced March 2nd, 2015.
You are now
aware the certification required for employment in the cruise industry includes:
City and Guilds accredited Hospitality, Food, Beverage and Housekeeping; basic
International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved Standard Training and
Certified Watch Keepers (STCW), Crisis Management, Crowd Control and Security
Awareness.
Initially, the
following positions are being immediately targeted: Retail Staff, Cabin
Attendants, Hotel Stewards, Bell Attendants, Laundry Staff, Pool Attendants,
Entry Level Cooks and Kitchen Personnel, Junior Waiters, Bar Servers, licensed
and unlicensed officers, etc.
You are
required to undergo a background check, prior to the Skype Interview with the
Ship and then complete a thorough medical examination, Diversity Training and
BahamaHost.
Successful
candidates will be issued an employment letter to support the request for US
Visa approval. At the end of this process the candidate will be qualified
for employment with the Grand Celebration or any other international cruise
line.
The recruitment,
selection and training process will be conducted on an ongoing basis until all
300 positions are filled.
Napoleon Hill,
author of the 1937 best selling book “Think
and Grow Rich” said, “To win the big stakes in this changed world, you must
catch the spirit of the great pioneers of the past, whose dreams have given to
civilization all that it has of value, the spirit that serves as the life-blood
of our own country – your opportunity and mine, to develop and market our
talents”.
Graduates you are
required to perform as if you are the starting five on a championship
basketball team. The hopes and dreams of
other Bahamian seafarers are resting squarely on your broad, pioneering
shoulders.
In closing, I
wish to commend the Tourism Development Corporation, for their effort, in
cooperation with the National Training Agency, Department of Labour, Ship Mate
Ltd Crewing Agency, Gadites Maritime & Nautical Institution, the Grand
Bahama Island Tourism Board and the Grand Bahama Ministry of Tourism for
driving this all-Bahamian Recruitment and Training Program.