MONTEGO BAY, St James — HEART/NSTA Trust is reporting a massive jump in applications from individuals seeking to participate in training programmes for the global services sector.

“There were 14,637 individuals certified in the global services sector over the last five years. However, for 2025 enrolment, this stands at 34,473,” said HEART Managing Director Dr Taneisha Ingleton following her presentation at a Port Authority of Jamaica Open Day held at Montego Bay Freezone on Friday.

Ingleton attributed the increase to job seekers’ recognition of opportunities within the global services sector, which includes business process outsourcing, information technology outsourcing, and knowledge process outsourcing.

“People are coming out giving testimonials indicating what their lives have been, how successful they’ve been. That is really creating the momentum that we need for these young people to understand that this is indeed a viable and sustainable pathway,” declared Ingleton.

She praised organisations such as the Global Services Association of Jamaica (GSAJ) for the work they have been doing in growing the sector.

“The GSAJ, as an organisation, has been doing a lot of work as well, a lot of marketing, a lot of presentations, a lot of networking,” Ingleton added.

The global services sector has become one of the major areas for employment in Jamaica with more than 40,000 individuals employed. It has become part of the job growth initiative for the Government, with predictions suggesting that it could reach up to 100,000 in the near future.

The sector has now moved beyond the early days when it was described as a call centre environment to the provision of a wide array of services through innovative ways linked to technology such as related to health care, insurance and more.

“The facts are clear: this is the fastest growing industry in the country. We are top in the Caribbean and so it is very clear,” Ingleton stated.

She explained that HEART/NSTA Trust has developed a range of programmes specifically for the global services sector.

“As Jamaica’s premier human capital development agency, we continue to be involved in the areas of artificial intelligence and we continue to ensure that Jamaicans are not only end users of artificial intelligence (AI) but also innovators and contributors to AI driven solutions,” she said.

Ingleton also explained that what makes HEART unique is the raft of programmes that help job seekers gain the experience necessary to meet the requirements of working within the sector.

“We have quite a number of partnerships and collaborations that really help us to strengthen what we do and so we have initiatives that include the GSS Apprenticeship Programme, Leadership and Management Training, Enhanced Job Readiness Programmes, and internship and apprenticeship opportunities,” she said.

During the Open Day, vice-president of Global Services Association of Jamaica Conrad Robinson urged students to take a careful look at the sector as they make decisions about their future. He stressed that the global services sector is not merely confined to call centres.

“We have gone way beyond that now and we are into what we are now calling global digital services. So, if you choose to become a part of this sector, you are entering a sector that is currently leading a worldwide transition,” said Robinson.

He explained that this transition is linked to developments in technology such as the application of artificial intelligence.

The students in attendance were mainly at the high school level. They got an opportunity to engage with exhibitors and also went on a tour of some of the operations within the Freezone.