KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Mike Henry will this afternoon officially welcome 27 of the 52 young Jamaican engineers who completed their high tech training in China

The young engineers, who returned to the island on Monday, December 24, 2018, now qualify for immediate employment at the Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company (JISCO)-operated Alpart bauxite/alumina plant in Nain, St Elizabeth.

“The engineers have not only been trained in the operation of state-of-the-art industrial equipment and the latest heavy industrial technologies but are now fluent in both spoken and written Mandarin, which was an integral component of their overseas experience,” Henry explained in a release from OPM.

The 52 Jamaican engineering graduates from the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), the University of Technology (UTech), and the University of the West Indies (UWI) were selected by JISCO to undergo further training in China in the areas of industrial refinery and powerhouse operations in March 2018.

The training programme, which has been undertaken by JISCO at a total projected cost of US$3 million, included academic studies at top universities along with on-the-job apprenticeship within major companies.

The remaining 25 engineers are to return later this year upon completion of their period of training in powerhouse operations.

 “All the participants who successfully complete the programme will begin full-time employment at JISCO upon their return, which will reduce the need for foreign engineers at the plant,” said Henry, who is responsible for the implementation of the Jamaica-Gansu Industrial Park and Special Economic Zone that is being developed by JISCO at Alpart in St Elizabeth.

The Jamaica-Gansu Industrial Park and Special Economic Zone is expected to generate approximately 60,000 jobs and is pivotal to Jamaica’s Logistics Hub Initiative (LHI) development, which is being spearheaded by the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA).

“The Government is working to make a positive impact. This programme to upskill our Jamaican talent is just one of the many positive things being done. I hope that the potential negative implications of a particular political misstatement of the past, as well as ongoing labour relations challenges at Alpart, do not retard the growth and expansion of the bauxite operation and an associated broader industrial development which collectively promises a great future for the graduates themselves and the country at large,” said Henry.

The St Elizabeth zone is one of the three largest economic zones being developed by the authority in the country. The others are the Caymanas Special Economic Zone in St Catherine and the Vernamfield Aerotropolis in Clarendon, the latter of which falls under the direct responsibility of Henry.