By Eliane Portillo

The Ministry of Energy and Mining is projecting the creation of up to 2,000 jobs within the mining sector in Jamaica over the next 10 years.

The projection is based on the extent of associated activities resulting from the full implementation of the National Policy on Minerals Development 2010 - 2030. Principal Director of the Ministry’s Policy Planning and Minerals Division, Oral Rainford, said that once the policy is put into operation, certain specialist skills will be required for the sector. These include: expertise in mining engineering, mineral economics, mine development, and transport fleet management.

These will become more important and in demand, largely because we are speaking, now, about complex operations emerging… which are much larger, in many instances, than many of those which we currently have, Rainford stated at the final in the series of public consultations on the policy held recently.

He noted that other activities such as, welding, surveying, the management of large vehicles, environmental and waste management, will also become important, so too a range of other specialists such as surveyors, innovators, people who are developing new products, chemists, geo-chemists, geo-physicists.

The national minerals policy aims to ensure that Jamaica’s mineral wealth supports and contributes to sustainable national development and prosperity and its implementation, over the next 10 years, is projected to cost approximately $1.2 billion. The money will be spent on, among other things, institutional strengthening, infrastructural development, research, community development and training.

Rainford said that some $6.2 million has been spent on developing the policy over the last six years and preparation of the final draft for submission to Cabinet by March, coupled with the series of island-wide consultations and other attendant activities are expected to push the figure up to about $8 million.