ST JAMES, Jamaica— The Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) and the HEART NSTA Trust will be partnering with over 30 companies for a job fair that will be staged as part of Expo 2022.

The Expo, which is in its 30th staging, will begin on Friday, November 4 with the job fair starting at 9:00 am until 4:00 pm at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. The tradeshow ends on Sunday, November 6.

The MBCCI and its partners are seeking to fill over 1,200 vacancies available in tourism, business process outsourcing, security, information technology, sales and debt collecting.

This is the first year the organisers of Expo 2022 have included a job fair as part of the roster and according to MBCCI President, Oral Heaven, the objective is to find qualified and certified people to fill these positions.

“Ensuring the human capital exists to service our members and the city of Montego Bay, is critical at this time, hence our reason for partnering with HEART,” Heaven stated.

“There is need for entry-level and mid-level management personnel who are willing to work and pivot in the ever-changing tourism and BPO sector. The demand in these industries stem from a shortage of workers that goes back to the novel coronavirus pandemic’s disruption of tourism activities worldwide, which resulted in a reduction in the number of persons employed in the sector,” he noted.

According to Heaven, the response to the job fair has been very positive with prospective candidates calling from as far as Ocho Rios in St Ann to access the offerings.

“Ideally, the Chamber is targeting qualified individuals in St James, Hanover, Westmoreland and Trelawny, however, the job fair is not limited to persons from other parishes across the island. In fact, hotels such as Couples Resorts are looking for staff for their St Ann and Negril properties,” the MBCCI said.

Those interested are encouraged to take with them at least three copies of their resumes to apply in more than one job sector to improve their chances of becoming employed. Registration will begin at 8:00 am, with interviews scheduled to start at 9:00 am at the C Block of the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

The HEART NSTA/Trust’s mobile assessment unit will also be accessible during the job fair, especially for individuals in the IT and Customer Service sector that are currently employed and require certification, and also for those that will qualify for employment that will need certification.