In today’s constantly evolving business climate, innovation makes all the difference when it comes to increasing competitiveness and improving productivity.
This was the thinking behind the PROCOM Challenge which was launched earlier this week by the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC). The PROCOM Challenge, a collaboration between the NCPC, the Government of Saint Lucia and Compete Caribbean is intended to develop competitive businesses all while fueling innovation and productivity across Saint Lucia.
The PROCOM Challenge arrives at a time when enhancing productivity and competitiveness is attracting a significant amount of interest globally. Through this challenge micro, small and medium enterprises based in Saint Lucia are being invited to develop innovative solutions which will seek to address some of the productivity and competitiveness challenges facing the island. The PROCOM Challenge will provide co-financing of up to $100,000 XCD for the development and execution of winning proposals from businesses which focus on methods or technologies to reduce energy costs for business, compliance solutions to meet domestic, regional and international standards, technology to reduce operational costs and solutions to improve business processes.
Addressing the gathering at the Official Launch of the PROCOM Challenge, NCPC Chairman, Mr. Rayneau Gajadhar, stressed on the NCPC’s commitment to improving the business climate in Saint Lucia through its mandate. He said: “We are here once again to deliver on our mandate, by launching the PROCOM Challenge. The Challenge was designed in response to the various barriers faced by the private sector in enhancing their productivity and competitiveness. The NCPC is not satisfied with only identifying problems, but also seek to formulate and be part of the solution.”
The PROCOM Challenge complements ongoing reforms by the Government of Saint Lucia to facilitate an enabling environment for business growth. Prime Minister, Dr. Kenny D. Anthony who delivered brief remarks at the activity, emphasized the direct relationship between innovation and economic growth.
“We understand that innovation projects are often expensive undertakings due to the associated risk. Therefore, as part of our commitment to supporting firms to be more productive and competitive, the Government of Saint Lucia through the NCPC will be financing the PROCOM Challenge. We have taken the first initiative by providing seed capital for this project. We are therefore looking forward to the success of the PROCOM Challenge and to build upon the success by partnering with the private sector especially the financial institutions and other key stakeholders for continued sustainability and growth of this initiative.”
The NCPC’s Executive Director, Fiona Hinkson highlighted the endless possibilities which exist with this new undertaking, “Having recently attended a very information and eye-opening exchange in Arizona and California at the Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, today shows that we are taking steps in the right direction. The best practice that is shown from the recent exchange is the partnerships between the government, the private sector and academia. These partnerships in the US have resulted in innovative products, processes and practices that we can adapt to our realities in Saint Lucia. I believe that the PROCOM Challenge provides us with an opportunity to do so.”
While firm-based solutions will be considered, the NCPC is encouraging solutions which can be applied across a multitude of organisations and/or sectors.
The PROCOM Challenge will run from April 18th to May 27th, 2016.
The PROCOM Challenge Manual, PROCOM Challenge Brochure will help to determine whether your business meets the eligibility requirements and whether the challenge can help you.
MSMEs are encouraged to visit the NCPC website and Facebook pages www.stluciancpc.org, www.facebook.com/stluciancpc for regular updates on the challenge or call 468-5571/468-5576 with any questions/queries.
If you meet the requirements and have an innovative idea which you believe can improve competitiveness and productivity in Saint Lucia, complete the PROCOM Challenge Application Form and send us an e-mail.
Through the work of the NCPC, the Government of St. Lucia established the PROCOM Challenge. The Challenge, (grant-based) will be accepting applications from April 18th to May 27th, 2016 and is poised to be a catalyst that specifically co-finances the private sector to implement solutions or initiatives that either enhances productivity and competitiveness within the Saint Lucian economy.
During the 2014/ 2015 budget address the Government of Saint Lucia committed EC$500,000 towards this Challenge. Since then the NCPC, Compete Caribbean along with the Government collaborated on the design of the Challenge which will officially launch on Monday, April 18th, 2016. As part of the process, consultations were held with the private and public sectors on the areas that the Challenge should target.
PROCOM IN A NUTSHELL
The PROCOM Challenge will run from April 18th to May 27th, 2016.
Download PROCOM Challenge Manual, PROCOM Challenge Brochure to determine whether your business meets the eligibility requirements and whether the challenge can help you.
MSMEs are encouraged to visit the NCPC website and Facebook pages www.stluciancpc.org, www.facebook.com/stluciancpc for regular updates on the PROCOM challenge or call 468-5571/468-5576 with any questions/queries.
If you meet the requirements and have an innovative idea which you believe can improve competitiveness and productivity in Saint Lucia, complete the PROCOM Challenge Application Form and send us an e-mail.
OVERVIEW OF THE PROCOM CHALLENGE/GENERAL GUIDELINES
It was agreed, generally that projects focused on the following will be considered:
- Delivery of methods and or technologies to reduce energy costs for businesses
- Standard adherence and compliance solutions to meet domestic, regional and international needs
- Development of new or the adaptation of current technology to reduce operational costs and improve efficiency
- Projects or solutions to improve business processes for greater efficiency and productivity
Guidelines on which the Challenge will operate include:
- Registered St. Lucian private sector company, (a Saint Lucian having 65% voting rights in the company).
- The proposed Challenge will specifically deploy an indirect transmission mechanism, co-financing service providers.
- The Challenge will provide co-financing of EC$100,000 or less.
- The Challenge will fund capital goods and assets of up to 40% of the project cost, and
- The Challenge has a hybrid grant disbursement mechanism mixing up front disbursement and results-based payments.
To access the Challenge applicants will need to demonstrate a level of commitment whether in cash or in kind. Capital accessed via the Challenge can be used for activities and items such as staff time costs, technical assistance, and capital goods required to design, pilot or implement a new service. The Challenge however cannot be used as working capital, as an investment on equipment not directly related or critical to the project or the purchase of real estate.
The establishment of the NCPC PROCOM Challenge is a large undertaking with the objective of enhancing both productivity and competitiveness in St. Lucia. The Challenge is one that will back positive ideas and innovation within the private sector, bringing with it a much needed productive impact on the country’s competitiveness climate.
Visit www.stluciancpc.org, www.facebook.com/stluciancpc or call 468-5571 or 468-5576 if you have any questions/queries reference the PROCOM Challenge.
By Mr. Janai Leonce, Deputy Chief Economist, Research & Policy Unity, Ministry of Finance
Productivity refers to the efficiency at which inputs can be transformed into outputs. The more productive a society or entity the better it can transform a given set of inputs into outputs. Within any society or entity many different factors can influence that efficiency. These factors range from work arrangements and systems to the level of technological adaptation and capital infrastructure used. In this piece however we focus on the quality of the workforce which is a key input and factor of production. The quality of the workforce is important and speaks to the intrinsic and intangible aspect of workers including their drive, analytical skills, ingenuity and ability to innovate. These traits, particularly the ability to innovate and be driven often results in the worker in conjunction with an open minded management team identifying new approaches to doing business which often redounds to the benefit of both the worker and work environment.
Despite the importance of these intangible traits its often difficult to speak about them in an objective and measured way given that there is little empirical ways to capture and measure them. Consequently, other variables are often used to serve as a proxy for workforce quality. The most used of those are the performance at various educational stages of the worker. The thinking behind this is that success in those exams can be a rough proxy for drive and analytical skills. The better an individual performs the more drive and skills he/she is assumed to have. While this assessment is not without its flaws reasonable levels of data for St Lucia exist on the education system and as provides for an interesting case study. How well are our students (and therefore soon to be workers) performing at various exams and does this say anything about the quality of persons entering the work force? Information on the average percentage pass rates for the CXC examinations and for the A’ Level Cambridge and CAPE exams will be our two references points in this piece.
Over the last 10 years the average number of CXC subject entries, which is a function of the number who sat the exam multiplied by the number of subjects written, was 15,166 annually with an average pass rate of 68.7 per cent. While there has been some volatility in both the subject entries and pass rate, in the main, both have been on an upward trend. The number of subject entries rose to 15,096 in 2014 from 12,817 in 2005 while the pass rate rose to 71.4 per cent in 2014 from 70.6 per cent in 2005. An interesting dynamic of this performance can be found by assessing the distribution of said passes between the grades i.e. passes at grades 1 through to 6 with a grade one being the highest and a 6 the lowest. Over the full period studied (10 years) the percentage of subject entries which were grades of one or two averaged 13.1 and 25.2 per cent respectively while the majority of entries (30.3 per cent) were grades three. The distribution of exam performance across the remaining three classifications in sequential order were 18.3, 11.8 and 1.0 per cent respectively. Taking a more recent view however there have been some positive developments with increased percentages of passes at both the grades one and two levels and reductions at the grade three and four. The percentage of students who received grade ones inched up to 14.8 per cent from 13.1 per cent while the increase was more nuanced on the grade two with an increase to 25.8 from 25.2 per cent. Tempering this positive news concerning pass rates is the fact that the dropout rate at the secondary school level for males has averaged 1.9 per cent between 2004 to 2013 with a high of 2.4 per cent in 2011, seemingly on an upward trend and for females 1.0 per cent.
Although there are many levels of tertiary education which we can assesses to gauge worker quality the most readily available series of data is the percentage pass rate at the Division of Arts Science and General Studies (DASGS). As such we’ll briefly assess those results. At the DASGS percentage pass rates rose to an average of 75.6 in 2014 from 73.8 per cent in 2007 and the percentage of passes between grades A to C rose to 41.5 per cent from 23.1 per cent in 2007. Complementing these statistics is the fact that enrollment at the main divisions of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College 2346 in 2013/14 from 1689 in 2006/07 and a fall in the dropout rate from a high of 5.9 per cent in 2008/09 to 3.4 per cent 2012/13.
In the previous paragraphs we’ve sought to assesses the percentage pass rates and distribution of grades receive at two education levels secondary and tertiary to provide a rough approximation of the quality of the workforce. In both instances evidence suggest that our students are performing better but there are many caveats which need to be mentioned. The first is that there appears to be an imbalance balance between the number of students doing science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects relative to humanities. Estimates for the year 2014 put this at 39.0 per cent which is low given that Sir Arthur Lewis in his writing on economic development urged developing countries to increase this number as a prerequisite for a truly innovative workforce. The second is the number of drop outs are high with more than one hundred dropping out annually. The third is that only a few students pursue education post-secondary school leading to a worker force without higher order skills sets. Soft skills which include communication skills and emotional intelligence are traits which even the most successful in the academic arena may lack and we need to build systems which engender these into our citizenry.
While we may be tempted to laud/celebrate the academic achievements of those students who achieve pass grades in the CXC and CAPE exams, the stark reality remains that a significant percentage of students are completing basic schooling functionally illiterate.
The morale of the piece is that while we may have a basic foundation with which to build on, there is much work which would need to be done to build a truly productive workforce. When all is said and done, a low-quality workforce threatens the level of productivity and competitiveness that we are trying to achieve.
Article submitted by Guest Contributor Mr. Janai Leonce, Deputy Chief Economist, Research and Policy Unit, Ministry of Finance and NCPC Council Member. For more information about productivity, visit the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) Secretariat, 2nd floor, Financial Centre Building, Bridge Street, Castries, log on to the NCPC website; www.stluciancpc.org; www.facebook.com/stluciancpc, call 468-5571/5576 or send an e-mail to stluciancpc@gmail.com.
From April 10th- 16th, 2016, fifty-one (51) high-level representatives from twenty-four (24) countries around the world will gather in the United States for the V Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
For the past five (5) years, ACE has brought together together decision-makers to explore global and regional partnerships and economic development opportunities that will strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship. This year’s delegates will have the opportunity to meet with Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hubs throughout Arizona and Southern California.
Saint Lucia will be aptly represented by Honourable Emma Hippolyte, Minister for Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs, Mrs. Fiona Hinkson, Executive Director of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council and Mrs. Barbara Innocent- Charles, Director of the Small Business Development Centre (NCPC)
To find out more about the Americas Competiveness Exchange please visit www.riacnet.org.
Don’t forget to visit the NCPC Facebook page and website www.stluciancpc.org regularly for this and other news updates.
Attitude is everything where productivity is concerned. As organizations continue to invest resources in improving organizational productivity, it is critical that emphasis be placed on equipping employees with the necessary tools they need to succeed in an effort to foster a culture of productivity. Training continues to play a key role in not only sharpening employees’ core skills but also improving individual attitudes which will have a significant impact on output and performance.
With this in mind, the dynamic team of women who coordinate the day-to-day operations of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) recently completed The 5 Choice to Extraordinary Productivity. This two-day extensive training workshop was presented by Celestial Learning Development Centre, a full-service Human Resource and Business Consultancy firm in Saint Lucia. The training exercise was facilitated by Afra Schimming-Chase, L.L.B., LLM, CFP, a well-known Certified Financial Consultant and Motivational Speaker of Franklin Covey Namibia.
Like many of the solutions offered by Franklin Covey, a major focus of the 5 Choices training exercise was performance. The training group consisted of approximately 30 management professionals from companies across the island, (including the NCPC Secretariat Team). After having completed the workshop the trainees were equipped with the tools to enhance both their professional and personal productivity.
Fiona Hinkson, Executive Director of the NCPC Secretariat stressed on the importance of training as a critical component of any organization’s long term strategy. “Training is essential to any organization’s success. Since productivity affects companies’ bottom line, understanding the productivity culture of an organization and ensuring that at least the management is properly trained in productivity techniques will go a long way in improving performance. Part of our mandate at the NCPC is identifying issues related to productivity and competitiveness in Saint Lucia, providing the necessary advocacy and research to produce timely and effective recommendations to policymakers on these issues. The decision for my team to receive the 5 Choices Training was an easy one for me. As the national body focused on productivity and competitiveness, this training has given us a more intimate understanding and greater sensitivity to productivity related issues. What I loved most about the workshop was that in addition to the theoretical information shared, there were many opportunities for us to share stories and personal experiences and we also walked away with practical tools which will help to enhance productivity in our professional and personal lives.”
Since completing the workshop two-weeks ago employees at the NCPC Secretariat have noticed positive changes not just in the work place but also in their personal lives.
Sharma Mathurin, Economist at the NCPC Secretariat noted, “We have always been a very action-oriented team however the workshop has exposed us to practical tools and techniques which will allow us to become even more efficient at our jobs. The way in which we conduct our meetings has already changed. Additionally, the Secretariat has adopted practices from the training exercise which will continue to empower us to develop a culture of productivity within the team. We have also found that by constantly speaking the productivity language and always thinking in terms of the four quadrants, we have been better able to prioritize our work. This training is so much more than productivity training, the 5 Choices equips trainees with very essential tools for living a fuller life.”
Productivity affects and benefits everyone. The more organizations learn about productivity the more poised they will be to improve organizational performance.
If you talk about it, it’s a dream, if you envision it, it’s possible, but if you schedule it, it’s real.”- Anthony Robbins, Author of Get the Edge
Everyday we are faced with a myriad of choices; “staying in bed for a half an hour longer or getting up earlier to exercise, buying a beautiful new dress or suit or investing that money in a retirement savings plan, taking the stairs or the elevator.” Life is filled with limitless choices, but even when they are difficult we make them, often effortlessly. What makes the real difference is when we make a personal decision to recommit daily to our choices- to own them!
Productivity is defined as “the measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc., in converting inputs into useful outputs.” As employers become increasingly aware of employees’ contribution to organizational productivity, more emphasis is being placed on finding innovative ways to keep employees engaged and motivated, thereby ensuring greater results for the organization. The challenge with such an approach is that the perceived gain is often temporary. While employee engagement is extremely important, understanding the root cause of employee inefficiencies will translate to more sustainable results.
More often than not the major hindrance to productivity is the “mindset/culture” which exists within the organization. While we can’t force others to change their mindset/outlook, we can make a personal decision to make changes to our own mindset. Imagine the extraordinary productivity organizations could achieve if each individual decided to make a personal commitment to change?
Personally I think that the very same principles which are applied to a project can be adapted to our lives. When we decide to embark on a project, we always ensure that we have a detailed plan in place, we establish goals and objectives, we monitor progress and reevaluate goals, we update the plan. Why not use the very same method to help us achieve our personal productivity? Here are seven (7) simple steps to get you on the right track to improving your productivity:
- Want it
As with any project, buy-in is key. You are the Project Manager and if you aren’t excited about your project, or fully committed, there is no way it is going to work. You can’t wish to be more productive, you have to truly want it, immerse yourself in the lifestyle and continuously work at maintaining it.
- Write it down
So you’ve decided to commit to this personal productivity project, but what is really stopping you from breaking this decision just like you have a million other resolutions? If you want it to happen then you NEED to write it down. Get a post-it and a pen and write down your decision. Place it on your mirror or fridge or another prominent place in your home or office space. This will help to ensure that your productivity project is always top of mind.
- Select one or two areas that you wish to work on and set measurable objectives
You want to be productive? That’s a pretty broad statement! The key to a succeeding is taking this want and breaking it down into more specific areas you want to change and then setting measurable objectives. E.g. You have identified that your lack of organizational skills is hindering your productivity. You can then decide that for the next six weeks you are going to work on your organizational skills as opposed to productivity on a whole.
- Determine a detailed plan of action, establishing timelines for achieving different milestones
This is where you plan the work you will need to put in, how you plan to achieve this work (process) and the tools you will need to succeed. You will also determine the length of time required for the project based on your goals and different milestones which will be sort of a checkpoint that you are going in the right direction.
- Do it!
With your plan in place your main focus here is doing the work that you set out to do in your plan.
- Regularly review/re-evaluate your plan to determine progress and update plan where necessary
While carrying out this project you will regularly review to see how close you are to achieving your objectives. You may realize that certain goals or objectives need to be reviewed or that your approach needs to be changed.
- Detail Lessons Learned
Your project is completed but the work is not over as yet. A very crucial component of your project is establishing lessons learned. There may have been processes which worked better than others, results which were particularly noteworthy and other key information which is worth writing down. By establishing lessons learned and making notes of successes and challenges, you are setting the pace for how other personal projects will go.
Cultivating a productivity mindset may seem like an insurmountable task but even the most meaningful work seems daunting at first. By making daily choices and acting on these choices, there is so much you can achieve.
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, in collaboration with the Government of Saint Lucia through the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council hosted the Inauguration of the Commercial Division of the High Court at the Queen Elizabeth Port, La Place Carenage on Tuesday, January , 2016.
The establishment of the Commercial Division of the High Court was facilitated and coordinated by the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) on behalf of the Government of Saint Lucia. The NCPC together with the Ministry of Legal Affairs partnered with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court for the successful establishment of the Commercial Division.
(Please see full text of the feature address from Hon Kenny D Anthony, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance)
“DEALING WITH THE BUSINESS OF THE COURTS”
INTRODUCTION
Today marks an important occasion in our history as we all gather here for the official inauguration of the Commercial Division of the High Court. This has been a much anticipated event for this Government since the announcement for the establishment of a Commercial Division was made approximately three years ago. The dedication and commitment that was exhibited in order to bring this initiative about is commendable. This division would not have existed without key partnerships and stakeholders working together. I would therefore like to take a moment to acknowledge two of these key partnerships.
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE E.C.S.C.
First of all, I must thank the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) for working with the Government of Saint Lucia to establish this Court. The ECSC was instrumental in providing the oversight, advice and direction for this initiative to ensure that the Commercial Division was established according to the standards that are expected across the region.
PARTNERSHIP WITH COMPETE CARIBBEAN
Secondly, I single out the partnership with Compete Caribbean. The Government has benefitted tremendously from its partnership with Compete Caribbean. Since 2012, after the signing of the grant agreement, Compete Caribbean has assisted the Government in the establishment of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) with the mandate to enhance productivity and competitiveness. As part of that same technical assistance grant, it was agreed that the establishment of the Commercial Division would be coordinated through the newly formed NCPC on behalf of the Government of Saint Lucia.
Let me take the opportunity to thank Compete Caribbean for the continued support provided to Saint Lucia. I would also like to thank the hard working staff of the NCPC Secretariat.
From the partnership with Compete Caribbean, we had the support of a team of consultants led by Retired Justice Michael Gordon who lent invaluable assistance to the NCPC during the coordination of this project. Justice Gordon was instrumental in advising on the legal requirements to operationalize the Commercial Division of the High Court.
BENEFITS OF HAVING A COMMERCIAL DIVISION
Some have doubted the potential benefits of the commercial Division of the High Court. I wish to emphasize that every part of the legal system is important and the Government is committed to providing resources to the various components of the legal system within the context of its resource constraints. Having said this, there are several reasons and benefits of having a Commercial Division of the High Court.
It is expected that a specialised Commercial Division will ease the burden on the Civil Division of the High Court and will result in quicker resolutions to commercial disputes. Hopefully, this will improve the efficiency of the judicial system.
There are certainly other benefits of a specialised commercial division.
INCREASING COMPETITIVENESS
One is increasing competitiveness of Saint Lucia. I define competitiveness as the key set of factors, institutions and activities that enable a country to offer services and products to sustain itself among its competitors and to earn a high level of income. Therefore, to increase competitiveness it is essential to establish critical institutions to provide support services to businesses and other sectors of the economy. It is expected that the Commercial Division will provide an important service to the private sector by facilitating quick and effective resolutions of business disputes.
IMPORTANT TO ENTREPRENEURS
Secondly, the legal system is important to entrepreneurs. A Commercial Court is necessary to interpret the rules of the business environment and protecting the rights of businessmen and women. An efficient and transparent court system encourages new business relationships and expansion because businesses know that they can rely on the court for redress, should legal proceedings become unavoidable.
GREATER RESPECT FOR CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
Curiously, an unintended benefit of establishing this court may well be greater respect for contractual obligations among the citizens.
Thousands of contracts are entered into every day. Yet, there seems to be little understanding that contractual obligations are sacred. Ask any house owner about individual experiences with building contractors. A price is agreed upon to undertake a contract. When the time comes for payment, a the contractor may claim that he or she forgot to make allowances for all kinds of things and therefore requires compensation for thee unintended costs. Contractors invoke “fairness” as the original agreement is repudiated and disowned.
These experiences can be repeated in a whole range of transactions. This is not just a legal problem; it is also a cultural problem.
ENHANCING THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Overall, however, the establishment of this Court will enhance the business environment. The efficient operation of the Commercial Division of the Court speaks directly to the efficiency of the business environment and the enforcement of contractual obligations. As we all know, the efficient resolution of contractual and other commercial disputes is measured annually by the World Bank for incorporation in its Ease of Doing Business Report for 189 countries. For a number of years, this was one the worst performing indicators for Saint Lucia. Since the commissioning of the Commercial Division, we have seen improvement in this area.
INVESTOR CONFIDENCE
The operations of a Commercial Division can increase investor confidence and attract foreign direct investment and business opportunities into the country to stimulate economic growth and development.
While it may seem that the business and legal sectors are separate, a weak commercial judicial system undermines the confidence of investors. The establishment of Commercial Courts encourages investors to make greater use of domestic courts to resolve disputes. Investors are attracted to Courts that are fair, transparent, efficient, and timely in resolving disputes.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS WILL GAIN CONFIDENCE
The recent global economic downturn, accompanied by high financial uncertainty, has reinforced the need to establish efficient processes for commercial dispute resolution and the recovery of losses. Additionally, financial institutions are less willing to lend to the private sector in the absence of an efficient legal system to settle commercial matters. This has the potential to limit the funding available for business expansion and their participation in international trade. It is hoped that the financial institutions will gain confidence in the system, and thus result in greater access to credit, leading to the establishment of new business ventures and new markets.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THE COMMERCIAL DIVISION?
In summary, I believe that this Court is expected to deliver the following:
- Building Expertise: Courts that consistently deal with business and commercial disputes develop expertise, experience and knowledge over time;
- Becoming more efficient: with time and experience, the Division will be able to perform judicial functions more rapidly and efficiently;
- Improve cost-effectiveness of the courts: the operations of the Division frees judicial resources for the civil courts;
- Provide stability and consistency in settling disputes regarding commercial cases; and
- Economic Development: as it provides the impetus for new business or investments in Saint Lucia as investors can be assured that the Commercial Division exists to resolve disputes.
CONSTANT EVALUTION
Finally, it is critical that we constantly evaluate what we have established or created. We may think that we have identified a solution to our problem, but it may not mean that the intended solution brings the results that we expect. All kinds of reasons can explain this. The design may have been flawed. Unanticipated consequences occur. Enough resources may not have been provided. Leadership may have been weak. Those who manage the system exploit loopholes in the design and operation of the initiative. All of these are possible reasons.
It is crucial that we constantly evaluate what we create to determine whether the intended benefits are being realized. For example, several years ago, we took the bold step to establish a Criminal Division of the High Court. We established new procedures for trials in criminal cases. But has this initiative really worked? Are we delivering verdicts in criminal matters efficiently and in full accordance with our laws and Constitution? What explains the high number of remand cases for which some of our partners criticise us? Are we allowing defence counsel in criminal cases to exploit loopholes or weaknesses in design to frustrate the efficiency of the court?
My point is that we must constantly evaluate our initiatives, to determine whether we get the promised benefits and value for money.
THE NEW PREMISES
Let me now conclude.
I am very happy to report and join the others by saying that this initiative has resulted in tremendous benefit not only for the Commercial Division but for the Civil Division as well. The Civil Division has a new home, alongside the Commercial Division. This is a good use of space, until such time as we construct a new Halls of Justice.
The fact that the two divisions are in the same location will bring about very important synergies and sharing of resources that can only lead to better efficiency in the courts.
ARRANGEMENT WITH SLASPA
I want also to take a moment to recognize SLASPA for making the space available and for agreeing to pay the costs of the retrofitting upfront on behalf of the Government, a cost that we must reimburse. However, this arrangement with SLASPA ensured that the project was done in an efficient and timely manner. We know that the Ministry of the Public Service’s engagement with SLASPA ensured that the new premises were up to the standards required.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I say hats off and congratulations to all the stakeholders involved (The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, all the Government Ministries and agencies, the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council and the team of consultants led by Retired Justice Michael Gordon).
To the new Judge of the Commercial Division, Justice St Rose-Albertini, your work has just began and we look forward to hearing great things in time to come.
The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) are pleased to announce the broadcast dates for their new television series ‘Productivity Matters’. The series, (which is funded by Compete Caribbean) gives insight into organisations and agencies within the private and public sectors, whose programs and initiatives focus on productivity and/or competitiveness.
The series which comprises of six episodes, made its debut in January 2016.
Marketing Analyst at the NCPC, Mrs Geraldine Bicette Joseph states, ‘There are many organisations out there that are doing great things in regards to helping develop the nation through productivity initiatives and we believe that it is only right for their efforts to be highlighted. Each episode within the series varies significantly from the other as we have looked at a range of individuals and subject matters including the construction industry, solid waste management, the public service, the Commercial Division of the High Court and young entrepreneurs’.
‘At the NCPC we also recognise that it is sometimes hard to grasp the concepts of productivity and competitiveness and so we hope that the series will illustrate how these concepts, when applied practically, bring about a positive outcome for the nation’.
Productivity Matters will be aired at the following times on the stations listed.
Ep 1- Productivity Awareness Week 2015 (Calabash- 7.50pm, DBS – 8pm, 11/1/16) (HTS 8pm 14/1/16)
Ep 2 – Employee Assistance Program (Calabash- 7.50pm, DBS – 8pm, 25/1/16) (HTS 8pm 28/1/16)
Ep 3 – Commercial Court (Calabash- 7.50pm, DBS – 8pm, 8/2/16) (HTS 8pm 11/2/16)
Ep 4 – Greening the Caribbean (Calabash- 7.50pm, DBS – 8pm, 22/2/16) (HTS 8pm 25/2/16)
Ep 5 – The Construction Industry (Calabash- 7.50pm, DBS – 8pm, 7/3/16) (HTS 8pm 10/3/16)
Ep 6 – Young Entrepreneurs (Calabash- 7.50pm, DBS – 8pm, 21/3/16) (HTS 8pm 24/3/16)
A key driver for sustaining national prosperity and improving the well-being of a country’s citizens lies within competitiveness. In order for a country’s exports to compete internationally, it must have the best infrastructure, human resources, health care, high quality goods and services etc. Competitiveness is an important principle in assessing the success of companies, industries and countries. Hence, increasing levels of competitiveness is essential to any economy as a country must perform well both in the domestic and international arena in order to survive.
The need for increasing competitiveness is even more critical as the Saint Lucian economy recovers from low growth rates. Thus, focusing on competitiveness will provide possible solutions to the record high level of unemployment, finding a path toward fiscal balance and rebuilding the crumbled social and economic pillars of the economy. The following are examples of countries that have implemented successful programs which have helped boost their levels of competitiveness:
Sweden: The Agency for Higher Vocational Education was formed in 2009 after it was observed that there were a few vocational programs in Sweden. Additionally, employers were in high demand for skilled workers which created a major barrier to economic growth. Both public and private organizations apply to this agency for funding vocational education. Grants are given to those programs for which there is a high demand for professional qualifications. A recent survey indicated that nine out of ten graduates of this program were employed or self-employed one year after completing their studies.
Chile: In an effort to remove the heavy reliance on traditional industries such as mining, Start-Up Chile was founded in 2010. The aim of this project is to transform the country into an innovation and entrepreneurship hub of Latin America. This project seeks to attract the best and brightest entrepreneurs and boost the number and quality of start-ups in the country. This program offers 100 spots in the program each year. Selected start-ups each receive one-year work visas, $40,000 and access to a community of more than 800 start-ups ready to work collaboratively. To date, more than 750 businesses and 1,500 entrepreneurs have come to the country under this program.
Finland: In 2009, VIGO- a venture accelerator program was launched. It was established in response to “the Finnish paradox”- that despite the fact that there was strong innovation and institutional capacity, the country had few start-ups.
The program brings together innovative but inexperienced start -ups with seasoned entrepreneurs. They form accelerator teams of three or four experts to coach up to ten companies in which they have invested their own money. Each start-up has access to government grants to pay the accelerator team for its services. Since the launch of this program, the accelerator teams have attracted a total of $200M in funding for 60 companies.
India: The Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services was established to address the national skills gap by training young persons from rural areas in 16 strategic sectors. This program uses a public- private partnership model to work closely with a thousand partner companies and the state funded National Skills Development Corporation. It operates in different schools in 24 of India’s 28 states.
These schools follow an industry- recognized curriculum to ensure that students are ready for employment. Currently, 100,000 students have been trained, with 85 percent successfully employed.
Country competitiveness has become a central theme for both developed and developing nations. We are in the midst of an increasingly open and integrated world economy where countries compete for investment and human capital that are critical to their economic growth. Additionally, the development stage of a country depends on competitiveness. In order for Saint Lucia to graduate from the current low growth rates, specific strategies that focus on labour force, management, infrastructure, the business environment etc. need to be implemented to boost country competitiveness.
I have never received two turtle doves or a partridge in a pear tree as holiday gifts, but I’ve always liked the idea of the 12 Days of Christmas. With this in mind here is a rundown of twelve ways to give yourself the gift of a happier, more productive you.
On the first day of Christmas: Track your time. Lots of people tell me they’d like to keep a time log, but find the prospect daunting. So instead of a week, try it for just one day. Chances are this won’t be a typical day — especially if you start this project on December 25! — but it doesn’t matter. There are no typical days. Embrace the activity and see where the time goes. See if your log matches up with how you’d like to be spending your time. See what you like best about your life, and what you might want to do differently.
On the second day of Christmas: Work on your List of 100 Dreams. Make a good long list of anything you’d like to do or have more of in your life. If you’ve already created such a list in the past, great, but your priorities and interests may have changed. Do some editing. See what you might want to attempt in the New Year.
On the third day of Christmas: Cancel things you don’t want to do. Wouldn’t it be nice to start the year with only a little of your time spoken for? See if you can keep recurring meetings from following you into January. Wipe Outlook clean and decide what you want to add back into your life.
On the fourth day of Christmas: Build in a fun “obligation.” Human nature dictates that we’re more likely to do things that happen at certain times and involve commitments to other people. That’s why recurring meetings rise on our priority lists beyond their actual importance. The good news is that you can tweak this phenomenon in your favour. Schedule in something you want to do for early 2016.
On the fifth day of Christmas: Finish one project. Crossing a nagging task off of your to-do list will make you feel like you can conquer the world.
On the sixth day of Christmas: Change your food environment. Put fruit in a bowl on the counter, and move chips and candy to a hidden high shelf. Choose one simple habit to implement, such as “I always eat vegetables with lunch.” Over time, these choices add up.
On the seventh day of Christmas: Get a step counter. Most New Year’s resolutions to exercise have faded by February. But what gets measured gets done. A step counter can nudge you to walk the office halls during a break or walk the dog a little farther than you otherwise might. Given that most people won’t spend an hour a day at the gym, this is the next best thing.
On the eighth day of Christmas: Find a reason to get out of bed. Anticipation makes us into morning people. What would make your morning so exciting that you’d be happy to ditch the covers? Design a morning routine that gives yourself the gift of 30 minutes a day focused on something you want to do, rather than your obligations to the rest of the world. Just be sure to give yourself a bedtime that makes this routine feasible.
On the ninth day of Christmas: Lighten your load. Choose one household chore you really dislike and figure out how to get it off of your plate.
On the tenth day of Christmas: Back it up. Don’t let anything that matters to you exist in only one precarious place. Take digital photos of old, printed photos that could be wiped from existence in a flood. Then back up your favourite photos from your phone before you accidentally leave your phone somewhere. Hopefully you’ll never need these back-ups, but if you do, you’ll be glad you have them.
On the eleventh day of Christmas: Boost your wealth. If you just got a raise, use this day to think about ways of increasing your savings. Find any recurring expenses for things that no longer matter to you and use the day to cancel them and redirect the cash toward your growing pile.
On the twelfth day of Christmas: Say what you feel. It’s easy to be mindless, but expressing gratitude to those around you can remind you that life is a gift.