Cruise ship employment programme launched

Statement by Minister Michael Fahy

I am pleased to provide an update on one of our initiatives announced in our Ministry’s Budget speech earlier this year.

I am referring to the employment opportunities available for Bermudians with our cruise partners.

You will recall that when I originally announced the initiative back in March, I stated at the time that we were actively working with our cruise ship partners to establish a local employment office liaison relationship with a view to securing employment opportunities across all professions with those cruise companies that service Bermuda.

Since March, much work has been done to advance this initiative and today I can confirm that the Ministry of Home Affairs has established a preliminary referral partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line to offer job opportunities for Bermudians who wish to work as hospitality professionals.

I am therefore pleased to be formally launching the Department of Workforce Development Cruise Ship Employment Programme with the goal of encouraging interested Bermudians to apply for the many job opportunities available with Norwegian Cruise Line.

Norwegian is currently searching for dynamic hospitality professionals to join their onboard team to bring their innovative and renowned Freestyle Cruising to life.

Norwegian has reminded us that their ships visit some of the most beautiful places on earth.  From the scenery of Alaska to the beautiful island of Bermuda and every port imaginable, Norwegian Cruise Line is there. Not only do the guests have a good time, but their crew too!

Interested persons can simply take a look at the company website to view the many opportunities across all categories of employment that are currently available.

Also available, to name a few, are:

Assistant Waiters/ess

Bar Servers

Assistant Pastry Cooks

Assistant Bakers

Assistant Cooks

Jr. Engine Seafarers

Jr. Deck Seafarers

Restaurant Steward/ess; and

Bartenders 

As an onboard employee, Bermudians will join an international team and have the opportunity to meet thousands of people, build lifelong friendships, learn new skills and ultimately bring those skills back home and apply them here in our own workforce.

In the coming days, the Department of Workforce Development, in cooperation with Norwegian, will launch a local media campaign to commence the onboard employment recruitment process.

Interested persons should stop by the Department of Workforce Development or visit www.gov.bm to complete the online registration form by 8 July to reserve a spot at the Norwegian Cruise Line Onboard Employment Orientation Fair.

On July 23 and 24, representatives from Norwegian’s Employment Office will be on-island to conduct orientation sessions, accept employment applications and commence the interview process.

At the orientation sessions Norwegian representatives will outline all of the criteria for the prospective applicants and share details with respect to the different categories of jobs, employment contracts, as well as general information about life onboard a cruise ship.

We are excited about the partnership that has been established. We view this as a promise made and a promise being delivered.

And we look forward to a productive working relationship with Bermuda’s long time cruise partner - Norwegian Cruise Lines, as we endeavour to seek innovative opportunities to get Bermudians back to work.

Ladies and gentlemen, we recognise that we continue to face challenges in our economy, particularly as it relates to ensuring that Bermudians are gainfully employed.

While this is not a panacea to our unemployment issues, we do view this as a very unique opportunity to help resolve a vexing problem.

Where else can you turn a dream into a reality, while learning new skills and gaining experience with an internationally recognised, premier cruise line.

So we want to encourage Bermudians to think outside the box regarding these job opportunities and more importantly, if they’re looking for an exciting and unique job experience then I truly do hope they take the leap and apply for these jobs as they become available.

As I close, I want to thank Norwegian Cruise Line for their cooperation and their willingness to enter into this special partnership with us and it is my sincere hope that this will prove to be a mutually beneficial venture for both Bermuda and Norwegian.

Also, I look forward to rolling out future programmes with more of our cruise partners.

Thank you and I am happy to field your questions.