Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Anthony Hylton, has challenged Caribbean students in the Diaspora to look to the Caribbean Community (Caricom) for gainful employment.

The Minister, who was delivering the keynote address at the Honours Convocation Ceremony hosted by Morgan State University (MSU) last Thursday, in Baltimore, Maryland, said that with the establishment of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), there were greater opportunities for employment within the region.

He emphasised that barriers that previously existed were no longer in place, pointing out that, “with the free movement of labour you are entitled the right to seek employment in any member state and the elimination of the need for worker permit and permit for stay”. Senator Hylton also noted that the implementation of free movement of skills was now on a phased basis, but the ultimate goal was to have free movement for all by the year 2009.

Minister Hylton, who is an alumnus of Morgan State University, told the large gathering that, “historically there has been a very strong mutually beneficial relationship between Morgan State University and many countries in the developing world, particularly in Africa and the Caribbean”.

He pointed out that countries such as Jamaica have benefited tremendously from the expertise of MSU graduates, as almost half of the faculty there had an international background, with the Caribbean accounting for more than 25 per cent.