MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands looking for ways to overcome shortage of qualified and experienced labor

“The Falkland Islands experience unique challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining experienced workers.”

The Falkland Islands Executive Council approved a Workforce Development Strategy for the Islands. This follows a public consultation on a draft Strategy undertaken earlier this year. The Falklands with a strong economy have been experiencing for years a shortage of qualified labor.

With this approval, ExCo has also authorized the Skills Assessment Council to develop a detailed implementation plan for actions prioritized in the Strategy and to oversee the implementation.

In this meeting, ExCo also approved the revised terms of reference for the Skills Assessment Council to reflect its role providing oversight for implementation of the strategy and to allow for expanded membership.

Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, MLA Gavin Short said: “The work on the Workforce Development Strategy has been ongoing for a number of years now, and I am pleased to see that this report will allow for a detailed implementation plan to be put in place and for the actions to be tracked. This Strategy is an important piece of ongoing work and it is vital that we do not lose our momentum now.

”The Falkland Islands experience unique challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining experienced workers. We must all work together to continue to encourage our young people to return to the Falkland Islands if they have chosen to leave for further studies, and we should continue to encourage international workers that the Islands are a fantastic place to live and work.”