The announcement that a total of 8 million Antillean guilders has been set aside in the draft budget 2017 amendment (see Wednesday paper) for training of now-unemployed or -semi-employed hospitality workers is quite welcome. With practically all major resorts to remain closed a relatively long period, keeping their personnel and others who may have (partially) lost their jobs due to the impact of Hurricane Irma active in a positive manner sounds like a good initiative.
The upgrading courses said to start in January at National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) also fit into the “building back better” concept. This will help to not only restore St. Maarten’s service industry, but hopefully improve on the product, which is certainly no luxury seeing the highly competitive nature of the business.
The programme is planned for some four months, but caretaker Finance Minister Richard Gibson Sr. wants to make it at least 10. The idea is obviously to continue until the start of the 2018-2019 season, when hopefully the tourism sector will have recovered significantly. The projected cost was added to this year’s financial deficit that the Netherlands has already agreed to cover due to the extraordinary situation on the island.
However, the reality is that not everyone involved will necessarily be able to get their old function back. Therefore, it would seem worthwhile to also explore possibilities to re-train people for different types of work such as in construction, of which there will likely be plenty going on during the next year.
Perhaps another part of the 550 million euros in recovery assistance pledged by the Dutch Government can be used to prepare more locals so they can participate in the physical rebuilding effort, rather than bringing in tradesmen and -women from abroad. As stated before, under the current circumstances a change of profession for many might well prove the best way to ensure their economic survival.
