New lines of work for Grand Bahamians

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This month for the second time in years a number of Grand Bahamians volunteered to be part of a cruise ship staff. Following training and during the graduation ceremony Sen. Julian Russell, Chairman, Hotel Corporation of the Bahamas,  told the Standard Training and Certified Watch Keepers (STCW95) that the return of the Grand Celebration on which they will be working is expecting to bring great numbers of passengers to Grand Bahama.

 He told the recruits that 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 worlds leading cruise ports of call.

Just last year the Celebration was taken out of services after an accident at the Freeport Harbour but a new and bigger ship, a luxury cruise and stay product has joined the Celebration and will be taking passengers between the countries three times a week.

 Sen. Russell said that 90 after the accident the 1700 passenger Grand Celebration launched its service and since the recent launch the Grand Celebration has made 21 calls and delivered 35,035 passengers compared to the 27,825 passenger arrivals. This is an increase of 26% increase in passenger arrivals via this vessel.

 "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."

"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 has 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 cruise ships 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.

 The Senator noted that the 57 graduates were taken from the 641 applicants who had applied for the jobs on the cruise ship.

"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."


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