Dear Editor,
Many St Lucians may not be fully aware of the fact, that almost 6,000 St Lucians are currently employed in the call center industry on island. This is a growing industry with great potential and again this administration has focused on this fantastic opportunity by first creating OJ Labs which has been a major success with 350 employees on the job, with another 200 expected to join this group by December. On July 15th, we witnessed another major call center, ITELBPO Smart Solutions opening its doors, taking the call center capacity to 250 more new jobs.
This facility is housed at the Hewannora Free Zone, and Invest St Lucia is in the process of remodeling two additional warehouses to raise the capacity for another 500 jobs. These facilities will be ready by December 2020 and January 2021. On completion, the investor is looking at another 250 employees where a fourth facility is being sought after.
It is advisable, that some St Lucians visit this facility to understand and appreciate the high level of the work in progress. The upside to this investment coincides with the foresight of the Prime Minister who is determined to provide employment in the South, in order that the employees don’t have to make that arduous trip to Castries on a daily basis, but more importantly having to spend their limited earnings in bus fares to and from the Capital.
— James Stanislaus