No local takers for UDC jobs - Search for talent to turn overseas
Published:Friday | December 17, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Avia Collinder, Business Reporter
The management of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has all but given up on the local skills market in the state-run agency's search for staff to fill a plethora of positions it has advertised since mid-year.
Eager to get on with a planned organisational overhaul and skills reinforcement, the UDC staff search will soon go overseas.
While some potential candidates have been identified, UDC General Manager Joy Douglas said her organisation has not been able to woo these persons from their current employment.
"This is why you may have seen our rerunning ads; it may be necessary to advertise regionally and internationally," Douglas told the Financial Gleaner, as she spoke of the difficulty finding suitably qualified and experienced personnel it is seeking to hire.
The company is searching for two risk analysts, an economic development manager, procurement officers and a programme manager to be tasked with implementing new strategic initiatives.
Also being headhunted are a senior applications developer and application developers to improve internal processes through software development; a technical business analyst; a director of facilities management and a chainman, who will work with the commissioned land surveyor on staff, and who must have five years' experience in legal, topographic engineering surveying.
In August, the corporation announced a planned restructuring exercise and proceeded to advertise for skilled staff.
The UDC, a J$42-billion operation valued by assets, is said to be reorganising to strengthen its investment and asset-management functions following a Pricewater-houseCoopers management audit.
The corporation also undertakes capital projects valued at around J$5 billion annually.
Earlier in the life of the current political administration, the UDC saw a major management shake-up involving the departure of several board members. It also embarked on a number of strategic changes following a strong admonition from Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who has portfolio responsibility for the corporation, and who has made no secret of his intentions to have the organisation focus more on its core function of spearheading urban development projects.
Current UDC projects include the redevelopment of several towns, and the Caymanas project in St Catherine, which is estimated to cost some US$3 billion for the building of a 1,000-acre industrial estate, sporting facilities, as well as some 4,000 new homes.
Departments for facilities management and economic development were recently created and the new skills being sought are intended for those areas.
The facilities management unit will oversee and maintain UDC-owned buildings, motor-vehicle fleet and other assets, with the exception of rental property; while the economic development department will manage key services and incentive programmes administered by the corporation.
The self-financing state entity requires some of its potential recruits to possess qualifications at the master's level and a minimum of five years' experience in the position for which they are applying. They must also be skilled in project implementation and oversight.
The economic development manager being sought, for example, the UDC vacancy ads said, will be expected to ensure that economic development considerations are integrated into all physical and urban planning exercises within the UDC; conduct feasibility studies to identify commercially viable opportunities; manage and support the development of new and existing businesses' incentive schemes and maintain relationships with stakeholders for economic development.
Risk analysts are required to have a first degree in accounting and or finance, or have the CPA/ACCA accounting certifications. In addition, they should have a minimum of three years' related experience and administrative and organisational skills.