 Welcome to NationBeat. I am Genelle Norville bringing you this brief on the pearls of our nation and highlights around the heart of St. Lucia. Microtourism Enterprises receive key survival tools. The island's Minister for Education meets with principals and other stakeholders and a closer look at women on the Canadian Seasonal Farm Workers Program. 30 Microtourism Enterprises from the accommodation, site and attractions and water-based sub-sectors benefited from a training workshop on sustainable business practices which would allow them to remain competitive. The Department of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting collaborated with the Department of Commerce, International Trade Investment Enterprise, Development and Consumer Affairs in hosting the session. The workshop formed part of activities in Observance of Business Month 2018, under the famed Sustainable Enterprises, People, Planet and Profits. Anise Antoine has more. With the buoyancy of the local tourism industry, the number of Microtourism Enterprises are on a rise. Against this background, the workshop was held with a view of building capacity in the businesses. This initiative is part of the calendar of activities being hosted for the fourth annual business month. Samantha Charles is a tourism officer in the Department of Tourism. We discussed the theme and we felt that in light of the various elements of the theme, sustainable enterprises, people, planet profits, we should put together some type of initiative for operators within the industry. So we decided on a workshop on sustainable development for Microtourism Enterprises and we focused on 30 small operations from the water-based site and attraction and accommodation sub-sectors. The key areas of focus were sustainable environmental practices, maximizing profits in the tourism industry, and effective human resource management. Sarah Dupre Quota is the manager of the Department of Justice in the Civil Status Registry. I took the participants through the importance of effective human resource management because it's a very, very important area and especially when it comes to topics such as recruitment and selection, the psychological contract, performance management and the importance of performance appraisals. I felt it was very fitting to provide them with some detailed information on these topics so that they can incorporate it into their daily operations at their businesses, especially the tourism sector. Quota stressed on the importance of small businesses investing in proper human resource management. In some cases, the managers or the managing directors or the owners of those businesses, they do their own human resources. So of course, they would be doing it on a superficial level. They can go in depth and do it as well as it should be done. It would be good if they could hire one person, a trained person, if possible again, if finance permits, but those persons should get some training themselves. I think it's good advice if they can invest in their own professional development and have some idea of what human resource management is all about. So they could, although you're doing it on their own, they could do it well. The workshop took place on Wednesday the 28th of November 2018 at the headquarters of the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. Dedication and commitment continue to drive the education sector as key stakeholders gathered for the first term limiting of the 2018-2019 academic year. Alicia Ali reports. Minister for Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development met with school principals and district education officers on Tuesday the 27th of November. This initial meeting for the new academic term had on its agenda the integration of ICTs in education and the progress that has been made thus far. The strategic positioning of TVET in the education system and the emerging policy on the use of school funds. Honourable Dr. Gail T.C. Rigabet said these regular meetings have fostered an improved communication channel among stakeholders that helps drive the education sector forward. Dr. Rigabet anticipated the membership of the National Principals Association would provide fruitful input into the day's agenda. Of course the principals also afforded the opportunity to raise any other issues that are of concern to them. Preceding this meeting I had met with the Executive of the National Principals Association and that's a more intimate meeting where the Executive tabled for discussion the concerns of its membership. And I imagine some of the issues will be raised here again. President of the National Principals Association Pauline Antoine Prosper said one topic at the top of their agenda for the association is the provision of support for principals. Well there are several issues however principals have been interested in the topic of the office assistant. There are numerous programs that the ministry is currently implementing and it is very very stressful for principals especially principals of the primary school to do the regular clinical supervision and all the clerical work in addition to monitoring the new programs. The ministry is confident that the education sector continues to be advancing in a positive direction evident by the passion and dedication of all involved. From the communications unit in the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development I am Alicia Ali reporting. This is Nation Beats coming up an in-depth look at women on the Canadian seasonal farm workers program. Frankie, you know I'm travelling to Antigua this afternoon and I forgot my passport at home? Boy it's a good thing I have my driver's license I'll still be able to travel. Oh, how can you travel to Antigua without your passport? Under the OECS freedom of movement regime OECS citizens can travel to any of the seven protocol member states without a passport. Once they have an official and valid identification card with their picture and nationality on it. Really? Since when? Since the establishment of the Eastern Caribbean OECS Economic Union under the revised Treaty of Bastere it entered into force in 2011. You mean to tell me that I can leave Saint Lucia and go to another OECS country with just my driver's license or national ID and customs and immigration won't stop me? Yes, you can even use your photos registration card or social security card. As a matter of fact as a citizen of an OECS protocol member state you are entitled to indefinite stay when you travel to another OECS protocol member state. So you can live and work without a work permit or skilled national certificate. As a construction worker here I could take my trade to Grenada or any other OECS country? Yes, Frankie, you're straight. And what about my wife and children's schooling? Frankie, OECS citizens and their children will be granted equal rights and privileges under the freedom of movement. That includes access to social services, labor market schemes, health and education for your children and your wife. This free movement thing sounds nice. Has to be traveled to any OECS country, live and work for as long as you like. The OECS Economic Union is the real deal. For more information visit www.oecs.org Welcome back. Caribbean countries are seeking to increase the number of women employed on the Canadian seasonal farm workers program. Authorities are now working on logistics to facilitate more female farm workers on Canadian farms. Shannon LeBorn, take a closer look. Caribbean women in farming have come in for high praise from St. Lucia's Labour Minister, the Honourable Stevenson King. At the recent tour of a local farm with delegates attended the 2018 annual review meeting of the Canada-Caribbean seasonal agricultural workers program, Minister King observed that Caribbean women have broken many barriers and now stand two-to-two with the male counterparts in the agricultural sector. The Cox farm, nestled in the community of Varna on the west of St. Lucia, is a true success story where 50% of the workforce are women. Labour Minister King says the cabinet in which he serves will continue to lobby for equal rights and treatment for female workers across the board. I mean, I'm encouraged by what I've seen here today. The fact that you've got a sort of 50-50 balance between men and women. But more so, it's one that I must commend Mr. Cox on. The 50-50 balance of women and men is interesting that we are discovering it here today because we've just concluded our conference on the seasonal agricultural worker program between Canada and the Caribbean. And one of the subject matters which was discussed was the question of gender. And for us in St. Lucia and the other supply countries to the SOP, we have been speaking about the need for the Canadians to bring in more women into the mix. And I think it is encouraging that some of those very girls from Canada are on the trip today and are seeing the women in action, very active, playing their part on the farm, which gives them an indication that we can supply them with women on their farms. Canadian farm owners are becoming increasingly interested in the employ of female farm workers from the region. As such, moves are currently afoot to increase the number of women employed on the Canadian farm worker program. Beth Connery, who owns and operates a farm in Manitoba, Canada, says herself and many of her colleagues are satisfied that Caribbean female farm workers can perform. She explained that farm owners want to ensure conducive accommodation for female workers in order to facilitate increased numbers. Certainly on our farm, of the managers of the farm, two of them are women, out of the three. So we're very used to taking a look at the stereotype and the work balances. The way it's working right now with SOP, for us anyway, is very often you're calling back the same people, which means up to a little while ago it was very often men. So if you're looking for new people, you could be asking for women. The one blockage that we have right now that we're trying to resolve is housing, because we don't feel that it's safer responsible to put women in the same housing as men. So when we get that sorted out, we may very well be able to look at having more women come to the farm. We enjoy working with women. Barbados' Labour Minister, the Honourable Colin Jordan, is desirous to see Caribbean countries come together to further enhance the opportunities of the Canadian Farm Initiative. Minister Jordan says notwithstanding individual domestic circumstances, the region stands to benefit more from collaborative work on the program, recognising that there is strength in numbers. In some respects, it feels as though we are while sitting together, still trying to push our individual agendas. We've had too long a period of time, too long a history of jostling against each other in many respects. I don't want to sound though as though we are hostile because the Caribbean people have come together. As a matter of fact, the ordinary people of the Caribbean often can be seen to be much more integrated than some of us who are in what we call the political class. But I would agree that there is significant scope for us lobbying together. But I think we have to recognise first that we will be stronger if we lobby together. In addition to the employment generated and substantial remittances, Caribbean countries also benefit from knowledge transfer among participants and farmers. President of the Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services, Farms in Ontario, Canada, Mr. Kenneth Forbes says there is further scope to offer technical resources to the region. But we're all farmers. We basically do all the same things. We've done and we're doing. So I think he's doing a great job here. I mean, it's just one of those things that he has challenges, like any business has challenges, but we haven't met home as well. So it's, to me, for what he's got here, he's doing very well. Yeah, I feel quite happy about that because I have been farming with some degree of limitations and with the interaction, I can see areas that I can improve myself and going a notch higher. The Canada-Caribbean Seasonal Farm Workers Program has been in existence since 1966. It represents one of the finest forms of cooperation between Canada and the Caribbean. From the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports Energy and Labor, this is Shannon Le Bon. That's NationBidge. Join us next time on NTN at 7.30 pm before we repeat at 7.30 am and on this station as we fill the pulse and heart of our community. You can also catch up with us any time on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am General Novel.