ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) — Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government will be making an investment in the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), to make it easier to accommodate the growing number of applicants vying for spaces.

Holness says he is aware of the challenges at the facility and that discussions are well advanced to expand the Institute to give more students the opportunity of pursuing a career in a sector that could give Jamaicans a competitive edge in the global marketplace.

“I am so proud of the Maritime Institute. It is such a very wonderful institution that needs all the support it can get. I am aware of the challenges you face as it relates to space and so many Jamaicans wanting to get into the institution,” he said.

The prime minister was giving the keynote address at the Edu/Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Conference at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Montego Bay, St James, on December 8.

Holness said it is clear the Government will now have to step in to give the institute a facility in which it can grow to serve not only Jamaica, but the region as well.

“Very soon there will be an official announcement on what we plan to do as it relates to the investment we intend to make in the Maritime Institute,” Holness added.

He said a parallel can be drawn with the now globally accepted truism that Jamaica’s homegrown athletics programme is amongst the best in the world.

“The fact is, our athletic prowess was nurtured over decades through school programmes, investment of time and money by mentors, teachers, coaches and corporate sponsors to produce a global brand,” Holness said.

“There is a culture of excellence that goes into the success we all see. There is no question about the skill and talent and giftedness of our athletes. There is a lot of training and pain that they have to endure… the everyday grind and working to do it over and over again. The discipline, the diligence and the dedication are lessons that can be brought into education… into occupational educational training,” he added.

The prime minister further added that the country can achieve excellence in the development of its human resources, noting that a culture of excellence was inculcated in the minds of Jamaica’s athletes that said they can compete with the best in the world and beat them.

“None of this is achieved in a vacuum or in isolation. The performers had to believe in themselves and people had to believe in them. There also had to be the infrastructure to support them,” he said.

He added that human capital is too often an undervalued component in the conversation on growth, noting that it is one of the key drivers of economic growth.