Gov’t should ‘head hunt’ locals to fill top jobs in VI– Skelton-Cline
“In the last election, I took the time to throw licks on the then government regarding these same kinds of matters, and in the words of Ronald Reagan… here we go again,” Skelton-Cline said on the January 18, 2022, edition of his radio show.
Calling out the hiring of an expat to head the BVI Airport Authority (BVIAA), Skelton-Cline questioned, ‘You mean to tell me that we don’t have no locals that’s qualified to be the head of the BVI Airports Authority?”
He said poor or no local response to advertised vacancies is no excuse for not finding Virgin Islanders to fill key jobs.
“When you have these key positions in your country, you don’t wait for locals to apply, you do some headhunting. You seek out persons from amongst your own. Make sure they get in the process and have first opportunity to hold the highest post in this country!” he said.
VI keets 'dropping the ball' - Skelton-Cline
He said the hiring of non-locals in key position is a fumble, and further likened the hiring of expats to exporting money out of the county, "how is it we keep dropping this ball over and over again?"
“I love all of our regional brothers and sisters… [but] we don’t have no Virgin Islanders? I know we do, I am certain that we do,” he added.
According to the man of the cloth, the government must be unapologetic in ensuring that Virgin Islanders get hired in key positions, especially ones that have national security implications.
“I am disappointed, I am disgusted… I don’t care which government it is, Virgin Islanders should have first right in the Virgin Islands to hold the highest office in the Virgin Islands,” Skelton-Cline said.
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34 Responses to “Gov’t should ‘head hunt’ locals to fill top jobs in VI– Skelton-Cline”
it is mysterious; within the other caribbean islands all or most of the key public post are headed by their nationals
it it amazing when one raise the facts that locals should hold key post -the amount of old talk like vi folks should take a back seat to permit holders(not a personal issue)
go through the region or internationally the citizens are in charge of making key decisions for the future of the nation
I work Here in construction, highly skilled and qualified and I try my best to show any local willing to learn all I know but they can't even get pass the "hot sun" every day scenario. I believe knowledge is to be shared at all cost but that is a lost cause bout here.
I pay rent, buy food, clothes, send money so your greedy government can get 7% off western union,nhi, ss, paye and even $5 to your taxis (who deserve it)so you see I feed myself, I work for what I want and have so need to bite the hand, just take the whole hand one time.
Yes the bvi is beautiful, the women are beautiful as well but nature little secret is that most "born here" ah idiot and will stay so until they realize that the caribbean does not stop at beef island
the number of persons born in road town holding down key post in the usvi or mainland usa is mind blowing(do your homework)
this nothing new(lots of them in the medical field)
stay focused and look around; people leave their big islands and europe and now populating little road town(run talk that)
a few years ago one of my grandchildren went abroad to study she was made an offer(so come back road town to work for peanuts??)
some folks can adjust to small money or the minimum wage in road town because of the rate of exchange.....visit those money transfer companies
none want to work with the airport board members easy as that .
I used to advocate for unity but I find working with i**** people, they are hateful, jealous, crafty, messing with black magic and just not good people. The w***** people are racists. All these two groups just made BVI a very awful place and spoiled our paradise home just because we did not get the best. We visit countries outside the BVI and their own don't behave like those that come to BVI. We keep getting rejects and people who can not be productive in building their own countries. And every minute labour and immigration accepting these hateful nillionaires. Why? How can -1 plus -1 help the BVI? How?
why Vincent Wheatley did not hold up the person from st lucia who just got the job as head of BVI Airports Authority work permit, you coming out saying The Department of Labour is said to be doing due diligence to make sure it is not giving away jobs that locals can do, the last time i check the Airports Authority was running by an local before, vincent you have the heart to say you delaying work permits so local can get the job, why u did not delay this work permit so an other local would be put in the position as head of Airport Authority
Yes we want to see more local nurses doing what the expats are doing but as them get train boom back to the USA
Cline i would like to hear u attack the training institutions that are not offer ing training to the needs we have, there are key areas which interesting bvi lander can be train in but does that mean if they are train they are entitle to that job for the rest of their life regardless to their proformance?
And it must follow, as the night the day. Thou canst not then be false to any man/Farewell, my blessing season this in thee.” To this, I will add that one must take care of oneself first before taking care of others. Other regional sister countries rightly so look out first for their citizens. I’m not averse to the VI recruiting and hiring non-Virgin Islanders as the circumstances may dictate.
Moreover, up to the mid-1960s, the VI depended heavily on subsidence agriculture, coal burning, construction, fishing, craft, emigration(remittances), trade, etc ; these revenue streams were supplemented by grant-in-aid. Then, starting in the mid-60s and early 80s, the economic pendulum started to swing towards tourism and financial services; both make up the twin-pillars of the VI economy. The economic changes improved the VI standard of living and quality of life, boosting the VI claim of having one of the highest standard of living, quality of life, human development index and per capital income in the region.
Additionally, the new economy created the opportunity for new jobs and skillsets. Nevertheless, the VI did a lukewarm and less than stellar job of training and educating locals to take up any job in the VI from non-skilled workers to Premier. Is there, perhaps, a concerning gap between job availability and qualified locals? Moreover, does the VI have cadre of aviation experienced and qualified locals? How many qualify locals apply?
Looking forward, the VI needs to develop and launch an urgent, robust and strategic labour master plan. Launched, the master plan must be effectively executed, not allowed to become book ends on a shelf or stored out of sight as a computer file. Further, whenever there is a need to recruit and hire a non-Virgin Islander for a position in the VI, an understudy(s) must work along with the person. Other regional countries use to employ this practice.
[Let’s lead like eagles, not careen off the cliff like buffaloes]