Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) President, Leonard Sands is calling for more Bahamians to enter the construction industry.

Sands is concerned that the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) is unable to graduate enough students to meet the labour needs within the construction industry. He said, “we need a lot more persons in the masonry program which is a program that’s particularly challenged right now at BTVI because of not something that they are not doing. I think the public needs to understand that 99% of all the homes are masonry, so if you don’t train persons to do that you may come to a situation where you want someone to do your home and no one is able to do that.”

Sands contends that should no change happen more foreign labour will be needed. “I think the relationship between BTVI and the BCA can be strengthened so that we could come out with a solution that helps the entire country.”

In addition to masons, the BCA President says there is a need for air conditioning technicians and drywall mechanics. He said, “we’ve benefitted from persons who come outside the country inside the country with that skill and we learn it from them but we don’t train it here. One of our great partners at BTVI is an air condition mechanical company. They have such a relationship with BTVI though the BCA and our partnership, they sponsor the class and then take all the students. So that speaks to how much the demand is.”

Currently, BTVI trains approximately 40-50 students per cohort each year.