Arthur Green, STAR Writer

Government is lending its support to the initiative of the newly formed National Transport Operators Development Institute.

This was conveyed by the State Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works, Water and Housing, Dr. Fenton Ferguson, while addressing the third in a series of training seminars conducted by the NTODI held at Chef's Restaurant in Morant Bay on Sunday.

priority training

The Junior Minister, in lauding the initiative by the transport group, told the gathering that the direction in which the society is heading lends itself to endeavours like those of the National Transport Operators Development Institute in making training and development a priority especially in light of global shifts and international trade.

The NTODI in collaboration with the HEART Trust NTA, and supported by the Tourism Product Development Company, (TPDCo), has embarked on a programme of sensitisation and re-orientation for Public Transport operators in areas of customer service and tourism awareness with a global certification outlook.

global retooling

In his brief address, Dr. Ferguson reminded the participants that their own efforts for accountability should be enough to make them want to be a part of the global retooling and questioned whether it was possible to move forward without an improved transport system to support a modern society.

He went on to inform the seminar that with the coming of the 324-room hotel for Holland Bay, and its improved road network to complement it, greater emphasis must be placed on getting the local workforce equipped and trained to take full advantage of the opportunities that will be made available. This he said will be strengthened with the Harbour View to Port Antonio main road benefiting from major improvement work and he expressed the desire to see coming to fruition the Bowden/Bath/Holland Bay triangle creating that change that the parish so longs for.

The NTODI train rolls into May Pen Clarendon on Sunday, September, 17. So far some 140 transport operators have been trained.