GORDON
THE JAMAICA Exporters Association (JEA) is to get a new $5 million information technology centre, according to its president, Dr. Andre Gordon.
The Ministry of Commerce, Science & Technology has approved the funding, he announced at the association's annual general meeting recently that the the JEA's new headquarters at 1 Winchester Road. Minister Phillip Paulwell had promised to get funding for the centre when he spoke at the opening of Export House, the new headquarters, in June.
GLOBALISATION PRESSURE
"The pressure of globalisation has increased the requirement for firms to achieve and maintain competitiveness," said Dr. Gordon. The association needs the facility because it has a membership of 211 firms that are mainly small and medium sized enterprises, representing sixteen sub-sectors.
The facility that will include a fully digital training and conference room that will feature a retractable screen, multimedia and Internet capabilities. This, Dr. Gordon noted, will improve the capability of the JEA to offer the International Trade Centre's (ITC) Trade in Services training programmes, manuals and software which it has made available to the JEA. This will facilitate the entry and growth of Jamaica's export of services in the international market.
FULL INTERNET ACCESS
The JEA's Info-Tech centre will provide 10 workstations with full Internet access based on a high-speed wireless network and the digitisation of all JEA's existing information and databases which includes a wealth of information from projects in which the association has been engaged.
The Centre will facilitate on-line, web-based access to exporters and will offer traditional business support facilities and other technical assistance to exporters when completed.
