Human Resource Professionals in the territory have joined forces with counterparts from the US Virgin Islands to create a Virgin Islands Chapter of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).
The Chapter’s first executive board was installed on August 24th and has, in effect, joined the network of other SHRM executives across over 140 countries.
Speaking on the occasion of the board’s installation, Premier Dr. the Honourable Natalio Wheatley said that the Chapter’s formation was a timely development given the challenging climate currently affecting the workforce in the territory.
“As has been said before it is a very difficult time in the Virgin Islands for the workforce and persons in the workplace. But we see a brighter future ahead and to be able to navigate all of the challenges that we have in the workforce it will certainly require leadership and it will certainly require cooperation and collaboration and along with the minister for labour,” Premier Wheatley stated.
He added, “With the acting governor and the rest of the government we pledge our cooperation and our support to make this initiative and this collaboration really a successful one.”
Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Honourable Melvin Turnbull, who was the event’s keynote speaker, urged the human resource professionals to work hand in hand with the government to address the issues affecting the workforce – admitting that the territory is struggling with labour and workforce development.
Trunbull said, “What I believe is important is not recreating the wheel. There is an issue that we know in this territory with labour and workforce development so as labour minister here’s what I decided to do… The Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, the Ministry of Education, the Premier’s Office through the Department of Trade and Economic Development, together with SHRM VI, together with partners of all HR companies in this Virgin Islands – you are going to help us fix the Labour Department because we and what we do affects how you do business in the territory.”
As he expanded on the importance of HR professionals working hand in hand with the government and how he intends for the process to work, Turnbull noted that it was ultimately in the best interest of all parties to work closely together.
“The partnership is simply going to work where we understand issues that have been presented, we know some of the solutions. What we want is to plug in and tie into some of the resources, some of the answers that you have to help us fix it, because at the end of the day, a lot of what you do from the work permits, from the training, from what is required to come into your employment, the expertise that you would need – that all lies within us,” he said.
“So I believe it is important for us to join in that public – private partnership to develop not only the workforce of the Virgin Islands but to continue to change the trajectory of where we are in this territory and the development of our people so that we can continue to be leaders in our territory”, he said.
Turnbull went on to commend and thank the Human Resource professionals for their efforts to develop and guide the workforce,” he further explained.
The executive members of the SHRM Virgins Islands Chapter are as follows:
Mrs. Shondrea Turnbull – President Elect
Ms Debra Leslie – Membership Director
Ms Rochelle Lawrence – College Relations Director
Ms. Reba Thomas – SHRM Foundation Director