Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell and representatives for the nation’s major private sector organizations met recently to agree to establish an ongoing public-private sector effort to undertake positive and constructive activities to address both the government’s and the private sector’s needs related to work permits.

Pictured: (left to right) Aliya Allen, chief executive officer of the Bahamas Financial Services Board; Robert Sands, Bahamas Hotel Employers Association; Frank Comito, Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association; Minister of Financial Services Ryan Pinder; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell; Minister of State for Investments Khaalis Rolle; immigration director William Pratt; Chester Cooper, president of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation; Stuart Bowe, Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association; and Edison Sumner, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation.

Joining the Minister was Minister of Financial Services Ryan Pinder; Minister of State for Investments Khaalis Rolle; immigration director William Pratt; Chester Cooper and Edison Sumner from the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation; Stuart Bowe and Frank Comito with the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association; Robert Sands representing the Bahamas Hotel Employers Association; and Aliya Allen with the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB).

The parties agreed to work together to: undertake a skills needs assessment to help guide training; improve the current work permit review and approval process; strengthen communication between the Department and companies; and improve company awareness regarding procedures required to apply for short-term or long-term work permits, an appeals process, resources for training and sourcing potential Bahamian applicants.