The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams will address the participants at the FRED Expo which is to be held in the WTC Center in the Netherlands from the 17th until the 20th of May.The FRED Expo is a recruitment event having as its main objective the recruitment of professionals and students from the Dutch Caribbean to return to Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten to strengthen the job force and strengthen the economies of their islands. The event is aimed at both professionals wishing to return to their islands as well students and recent graduates who want to orient themselves on the Dutch Caribbean labor market. The intention is that visitors to this event get a better picture of the career possibilities back home.
Participating companies include businesses, organizations and (government) institutions established in the Dutch Caribbean. The participating companies are given the opportunity to directly get in touch with professionals and brand awareness among future professionals to increase.
"This exposition and orientation event is an essential component in strengthening the capacity and capability of professionals and recently graduated students to orientate themselves on the possibility of returning to the Dutch Caribbean and contributing to the strengthening of the economy of their homes. It is also an excellent opportunity for entities in both the private and the public sector to attract a professional, dedicated and motivated workforce. There is a marked need for a knowledge-based, professional workforce on our islands and it is you, both those offering the opportunities and those looking for them, who can provide the right climate to foster and address this need," commented the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister further commented that every year our best and brightest young people leave their homes to live and study in the Netherlands and many become young professionals who are doing excellent work in the workforce there. However many, if not most, of these bright and motivated professionals have a yearning for their home yet fear that the opportunities that their islands have to offer are less compared to those in the Netherlands. Many feel that they will not have the capacity and opportunity to grow personally and professionally despite their yearning for home and the desire to contribute the society of their islands. It is for that reason that an expo and career orientation event like this one is so essential in changing that fear, so essential in making you realize that the opportunities back home are just as diverse and promising as the ones which you might have here in the Netherlands.
The Fred Expo is sponsored by The Government of St. Maarten, ENNIA, Banco di Caribe, and The Government of Curacao.
