Pull from private sector to help public sector – Governor

A section of Road Town, the main business district in the BVI. Photo Credit: Timothy Barker

One of the major issues hurting the British Virgin Islands (BVI) as it relates to succession planning is that talented belongers have been flocking the private sector, Governor John Duncan said.

He noted that Government should consider recruiting those talents into the public sector.

“The BVI has talent; those sort of level of people tend to be in the private sector. If we are going to bring them up through the public sector, you spend much more time in succession planning and training – and we need to make sure they stay.”

“Could we have more people from the private sector come in and give three years of their time to the community? Yes, we could. That is one of the things that we are facing: at the top level, we need to plan for succession planning,” Governor Duncan said.

He also underscored the importance of ascertaining the sector in which beneficiaries of Government scholarships seek employment after they complete their studies.

“Are they going into public service to serve the community? Or, are they going into the private sector? These are questions that the government has to look at and come to a conclusion on,” the outgoing governor said in an interview with BVI News Online.

Some members of the community, over the years, have expressed concerns about expatriates – especially from the United Kingdom, holding some of the most sensitive positions in the public service.

Premier Dr D Orlando Smith this month said it will take some time before enough natives are available to fill all top posts in both the public and private sectors.

He noted that both sectors are important to the territory. “We just have to continue doing what we have to do until all the areas of need – whether in the private or public service – will be satisfied,” Premier Smith told the House of Assembly this month.

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