By Gerrino J. Saunders
Bahama Journal News Editor
Prime Minister Hon. Philip Davis recently revealed that he met with officials to
discuss plans for a new campus for The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) and
this week he made the announcement that land has been secured for the new campus.
He said, "The new BTVI campus is a down payment on fairness. It is part of our broader push to
train more Bahamians, faster, and better."
The revelation came during a tour of the Water Tower at Fort Fincastle where construction is
well underway to repair the historic site Mr. Davis revealed that the government has granted land
for the development of a new BTVI campus.
"This major investment in skills training will expand capacity to equip Bahamians with the
qualifications needed in fields such as electrical work, welding, HVAC, and masonry," he said.
Continuing he said, "The construction boom is real, but so too is the need to make sure
Bahamians are at the centre of it. We will not write people off. We will invest in their training,
expand opportunities, and change the system so that more Bahamians can take ownership of our
economy and build a life of stability and pride."
While at Windsor Park on July 28 th the Prime Minister said, "Here is the reality. There is more
construction going on in The Bahamas than ever before. Investments are pouring in, roads are
being paved, airports are being built, hotels and developments are rising from the ground up and
with that come real pressure of finding enough workers.
"At the moment there are simply not enough skilled Bahamian workers to fill the construction
jobs, and even The Bahamas Construction Association said the same thing. So yes there has
been an increase in legal migration to meet that demand," he said.
Prime Minister Davis emphasized that the BTVI initiative is part of the administration's broader
mission of expanding opportunities island by island which was the theme used during the 2025-
2026 fiscal budget presentation and debate.
He said, "This government is determined to ensure that economic growth reaches every
community. Progress must not be measured only in buildings or investment levels, but in how
many Bahamians are given the chance to share in it."
In recent times the government has come under fire from the general public and its political
adversaries for the increased numbers of work permits approved for foreign labour particularly in
the construction field
Keeping in mind there are more major projects online like the construction of the new specialty
hospital on the New Providence Highway, repairs to the Glass Window Bridge, the new hotel on
the Cable Beach Strip, a new proposed hotel to be built on the site of the Radisson Cable Beach,
Atlantis $475 million upgrades, the Grand Lucayan and the Grand Bahama International Airport
among many other medium and small size construction projects around the country.
However, despite the current shortage in skilled labour and the need to approve work permits the
Prime Minister had a stern warning for contractors and developers.
He said, "I want to put every construction company and developer on notice; if you are bringing
people in to work, they better have a valid work permit. And they must have decent housing.
This ain't no free for all."
The Prime Minister was hinting at some developers and contractors bring people into the country
to work and those people end up living in or establishing unregulated communities or shanty
towns.
The BTVI announcement comes as the Davis administration is also engaged in other efforts like
expanding its apprenticeship programme that pays Bahamians to learn trades while they work;
partnering with the private sector to close the skills gaps and align training with industry
demands; directing the Departments of Labour and Immigration to work together to ensure jobs
created in the sector are filled by Bahamians first and building a national skills database to better
match Bahamian workers with available opportunities.
"All across this country, progress is happening," said the Prime Minister. "You can see it in the
number of Bahamians back at work. You can feel it in the level of investment arriving on our
shores. And you can hear it on construction sites like this (Water Tower), where the rhythm of
growth is unmistakable. But progress only means something when it reaches the people. That is
the standard we have set, and that is what today is about.