First challenge attracts more sponsors
For the first time since initiating charity challenges, enthusiastic runner and fundraiser Joel Melanie said he was amazed to see sponsors at the finishing line to personally bring their contributions to the cause.
He was speaking following the successful completion of his first run in the ‘We all have Dreams’ charity challenge on Sunday and all funds raised will to assist University of Seychelles student Samirah Sally with a prosthetic arm.
The first run – a half-marathon (21km) – in the series of three began at Stad Popiler and the runners headed east up to L’Escale Resort Marina & Spa where they turned and headed towards the Glacis district administration office – via Persévérance – where it ended.
Other than Runners of Charity – a group he set up to bring more flare to the activity – Mr Melanie gained the support of members of the two Glacis-based football teams, precisely Northern Dynamo and Glacis FC, who joined in half-way through the challenge.
It is to note that Miss Sally is a Glacis resident.
Compared to previous challenges, Mr Melanie described Sunday’s run as quite tough as it ended uphill.
He, however, noted that he is in better shape and better prepared to take up the next two challenges, than he was last year.
In an effort to bring more transparency to the challenge and also build people’s confidence in what he is dong, Mr Melanie said he will create proper bank accounts for each project in which potential sponsors can directly make their contributions.
Initially scheduled for Sunday April 17, the second run of the series has now been pushed forward to Saturday April 16. This is because April 17 is Easter Sunday.
For the challenge, the athletes will run from Stad Popiler up to Pointe Larue, then back to the starting point.
As was the case for the last event of the last challenge, for this year’s project, the last run will also begin at Stad Popiler and finish at the Anse Royale district administration office.
Other than helping Miss Sally, the money raised through the ‘We all have Dreams’ challenge will go towards two sculpture projects, portraying two individuals who have contributed greatly towards the country.
The first sculpture will be to honour former track and field athlete Danny Beauchamp, who always defended the Seychelles’ colours with verve and determination.
On July 4, 2004, Beauchamp's athletics career ended when he was involved in a road accident which rendered him paraplegic, and although he made every effort to overcome his disability, he was never able to walk again. He died on November 12, 2010 at the North East Point Hospice. He was 41 years old.
The other sculpture will honour Mr Melanie’s mother who did not know how to read and write, until in her late 50s when she started to follow literacy programme (progranm alfabetizasyon) and later on taught others how to write in Creole and English and count.
Mrs Melanie went on to become a well-known writer and she is considered a pioneer in Seychellois Creole literature.
Through the sculpture, Mr Melanie wants everyone, especially the youths, to understand that it is never too late to learn something new.
Roland Duval
Raising awareness of persons with disability at work was the aim of a meeting the Minister for Employment and Social Affairs, Patricia Francourt, had yesterday with a group of individuals living with disability.
Member of the National Assembly, Naddy Zialor, Joel Melanie from ‘Run for the cause - Where there’s a will there’s a way’, the director for Special Employment Programmes, Marinette Freminot and Veronique Bresson also attended the meeting.
During that meeting Mr Melanie told the story of his journey leading towards ‘Run for the cause - Where there’s a will there’s a way’.
“I wanted to do a project to help different associations and it was materialised last year. But there was still demand for such run. I was already planning a run for two people from Anse Royale and now Shamira Sally has been added to the project for her to complete her studies and also to get a prosthetic arm. The run will be held on February 27 starting from Stad Popiler to Providence and back to Victoria. From Victoria, I will head towards Perseverance – La Retraite and complete the run in Glacis where Shamira lives. In our society, if we all pitch in, we will be able to help others mainly people with other abilities.”
Shamira Ally has been victim to some health complications and lost her right arm while studying in Malaysia.
“I deeply thank Mr. Melanie for the project he is undertaking for me. I went through a lot and the things that hurt the most was when I came back. I joined the company that used to employ me before going for further studies and one day when I entered the room, someone said ‘be oli lebra’ and others started laughing. I was deeply affected by that and I stopped working there. I did not want to stay home as I was getting emotionally affected. I contacted different places to work and through the Ministry of Employment I was able to get a job. Then I joined MCB where I got the opportunity to grow.
Ima Pillay started working at the age of 18 and has been working for more than 25 years in the private sector then joined the Ministry of Health.
“I did have some difficulties and had to explain to my co-workers. So far I am doing ok at work and I am being looked at well. I feel that my needs as a disabled are being met. My only recommendation is to have flexible time.”
Marie-Lise Morel works at SPTC. She starts work at 11am and so far enjoys what she is doing.
“I love working and love cleaning my buses. Mon debrouye e mon osi travay overtime. Mon kontan en kantite.”
Bernard Larue works for the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs. “I now love my job. Before there were some issues but the President told me to raise my voice, which I did and now things are ok. I do not let myself get bullied and my main recommendation would be for our salary to be looked into.”
MNA Zialor thanked Minister Francourt for such an initiative and also thanked Mr Melanie for helping people in Seychelles. “It is an opportune time for Seychelles to turn a new page. It is time to rethink the way we act and also the way we think. As long as we have a positive mindset, we people with other capabilities will reach our goal. Nothing is impossible. I am happy to see around the table a group of people who are also trying their best and be part of the community. I make an appeal to all who can make a difference in the life of a disabled person, please let’s give a hand! I appreciate the effort of the Ministry of Employment for helping and giving the opportunity to us disabled to work!”
Minister Francourt ended the meeting by commending the efforts of all the people with disability but with special abilities. “Together with my ministry, I will give the support to all new upcoming laws. I am happy to see that you are also not scared to make your voice heard, but we still need more awareness for Seychelles to talk about the disabled at work. They need to have the same opportunity at work and when I hear you talking about your experiences at work, I do not see victims, I see strong people who are ready to contribute towards our society. Today I would urge companies, organisations to value and welcome the disabled at work as they bring a unique value to the company/establishment. We ask the society to have respect towards everyone and we help each other.”
This meeting is the first of its kind and Minister Francourt and her team will keep working towards a more inclusive society among the establishments/organisations.
Vidya Gappy
Local private employment agencies, the entities engaged in the recruitment and placement of workers for a fee which is charged directly to the employers, registered 1021 jobseekers and made 456 placements in 2021, while the number of registered vacancies was 1915.
The statistics were revealed on Friday during the first of a series of meetings between local agencies and the department of employment, headed by Minister for Employment and Social Affairs Patricia Francourt.
In Seychelles, the agencies are governed by two laws, precisely the Employment Act 1995 under the authority of the ministries responsible for employment and licences (Employment Agency) Regulations, 1995, administered by the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA).
Any person can open an employment agency as long as they meet the conditions of the two above-mentioned laws.
The process begins with employment department where a certificate is issued if everything is found to be in order, before the interested party can proceed to the SLA for a licence.
There are presently seven active agencies in the country, and they are engaged in registration of jobseekers, issuance of job cards, registration and publication of vacancies, job counselling and soft skills training, and also placement of jobseekers.
An employment agency shall also present in respect of each financial year a statement of accounts in such form and shall comply with the best commercial standard.
Friday’s meeting was an opportunity to reiterate on the expected procedures so that the two partners work systematically, with an outcome that benefit both.
Minister Francourt noted it is paramount that the employment department engages strongly and positively with all its prime partners, considering the local private employment agencies as one of them.
As future plans to better enfold the local agencies, Minister Francourt mentioned introduction of regulations for the agencies to better regulate their functions.
She said there will be more collaboration for re-skilling of jobseekers, and also a review of the Employment Act.
Ratification of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention on private employment agencies is also among the future plans of the department.
The purpose of the convention is to enable all private employment agencies to operate and to ensure the protection of workers using their services within the limits of its provisions. According to the convention, private employment agencies have to treat all employees equally without discrimination because of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national exclusion or social origin.
All members should adopt all necessary and appropriate measures to prevent and to eliminate unethical practices by private employment agencies.
These measures may include laws or regulations which provide for penalties, including prohibition of private employment agencies engaging in unethical practices.
Roland Duval
Following conflicting remarks circulating on social media regarding the process and the granting of a gainful occupation permit (GOP) to a foreign lawyer, in reference to the case of Miranda Ching who had come in from London to defend two suspects in the case of the missing US $50million, the principal secretary for immigration and civil status Alain Volcère yesterday clarified the circumstances surrounding the particular case.
“For a foreign lawyer to be authorised to practice law in Seychelles including right of audience, he or she needs to have a license and a gainful occupation permit (GOP). But to begin with, an application has to be submitted before the Supreme Court either by a law firm or an individual lawyer – the associate of the foreign lawyer. Among the documents the law firm or lawyer has to submit to the Supreme Court includes an affidavit and this is in line with the Legal Practitioner’s Act,” Mr Volcère explained.
He went on to note that once the Court is satisfied with the application, it will serve a court order that stipulates the compulsory conditions that should be adhered to by the foreign lawyer and these include having a GOP which he or she should submit to the Supreme Court once received in order to be granted a license to practice.
Mr Volcère specified that as per the foreign lawyer’s license and GOP, he or she is not permitted to provide any legal services to other people outside the specific case.
While it is the normal procedure for a GOP process to start while a person is still outside Seychelles, Mr Volcère said in relation to lawyer Miranda Ching’s case, it was registered on January 13, a day before she entered the country. Her application was processed on January 20 and on the same day she took her oath before leaving the country the following day.
Mr Volcère remarked that a GOP application was also submitted on that day but it was incomplete.
“She had to leave the country because she did not have a GOP,” Mr Volcère stressed, noting that until now no GOP application has been received for processing.
He further noted that all the different steps in the process have been followed and there only remains the GOP certificate to be obtained.
He said that under normal circumstances a GOP is processed and obtained in a week.
He further clarified that all GOPs should be paid for regardless if the foreign employee is from a Commonwealth jurisdiction or not.
For her part the executive director in the employment department, Veronique Bresson, noted that the GOP process for foreign legal practitioners is different and more specific compared to other foreign employees as it includes the Court submission and subsequent Court order.
“The person in question felt that she needed to be present in the country to follow the Court process before exiting the country because she knows that she cannot start practicing without the GOP and that this cannot be processed if the person is in the country,” Ms Bresson clarified, noting that for the time being the employment department is yet to receive the GOP application.
Marie-Anne Lepathy
As the Covid-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating, parents are concerned about their children’s education and as more people lose their jobs and are not sure what to do and in what area to re-train, through an agreement signed with the department of Employment mid last year, the Computing and Additional Learning Centre is still offering a variety of extra lessons and training programmes in different areas.
Clivy Albert, the managing director of Computing and Additional Learning Centre based in the Salle d’Oeuvres Building in Victoria, said it will be 20 years this year since the centre has been offering extra classes for pupils and develop adult computer skill as well as provide training in different fields.
He said the different lessons are still in demand and people should not hesitate to come forward and seek to gain other skills.
“Computing and Additional Learning still focuses on giving new skills and broadening the knowledge and education of our people of all ages,” Mr Albert said.
The Computing and Additional Learning Centre has been offering a variety of extra classes in languages as well as mathematics and computer lessons for young primary pupils. For secondary students they have been offering extra classes mostly in physics, mathematics, English as well as computer lessons.
Mr Albert noted that it is thanks to the services of qualified part-time instructors in the different subjects who have been faithful to the centre over the years that it has succeeded to give additional skills to many young people as well as many mature students in different areas.
“Pupils with learning difficulties have seen themselves catching up on their lessons while those doing very well have sought extra classes to develop further,” Mr Albert said.
He noted that mathematics is a subject that many pupils struggle with and at the centre, they have helped a lot of them to cope better.
In terms of classes for adults, Mr Albert said the centre focuses mostly on offering basic courses in different subjects like accounting, human resource, customer service and do not ask for a lot of requirements in order to enroll on the courses.
“Many people often believe that these courses demand a lot and that they would never be able to enroll on and see themselves succeeding which is not at all the case because we at the Computing and Additional Learning Centre firmly believe in giving people a second chance in life. This is their chance to develop their skills as well as their confidence,” Mr Albert said.
He went on to note that through an agreement signed with the department of Employment last year, the centre has helped re-skilled over 70 people who had lost their jobs because of the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic by upgrading their computer knowledge and skills and giving them training in basic accounting.
“Today I am happy that these people are doing other jobs and are moving on in their lives. People should not be afraid to come forward and seize the opportunity for a second chance in life. Computer knowledge today is very important, it is the basis for online learning as well as for all the small basic everyday life activities,” Mr Albert pointed out.
He noted that people should not be afraid because to start with they will only have to learn the basics about a computer and the rest they will gradually learn as they go along.
Meanwhile Mr Albert has pointed out that over the years there has been a remarkable decrease in the number of pupils who enroll for computer lessons because he says many parents, once their children can manipulate different electronic gadgets, they believe they are computer literate which is not at all the case.
“Often when their school lessons involve producing works in Microsoft Word or Excel they are unable to do so and often it is difficult to convince the parents that manipulating the different electronic gadgets are different from computer knowledge. Such knowledge is crucial for home schooling and parents should be aware of these issues at a time when a lot of emphasis is being placed on virtual and home schooling and online learning,” Mr Albert remarked.
Mr Albert went on to note that prices for extra classes for pupils can be paid on a termly basis and parents can always discuss payment terms for the different packages and agree on something which is reasonable for both parties.
Looking back on the achievements of the centre almost 20 years later Mr Albert said he is proud and happy at the number of people – both pupils and adults – who have gone through the centre and are doing well in their lives.
“I am full of pride when people started off by learning the very basic at the centre and later went on to join other learning centres like The Guy Morel Institute to further their studies,” Mr Albert said.
Mr Albert said lessons are expected to start soon as more parents seek extra lessons for their children to boost their learning as Covid-19 continue to interrupt face to face learning.
For more information call 4226241/ 2512691 to get a new start in your life as well as boost your child’s education during those difficult times.
Compiled by Marie-Anne Lepathy
Children and staff from four children’s homes on Mahé were happy to welcome First Lady Linda Ramkalawan and Employment and Social Affairs Minister Patricia Francourt who visited them yesterday.
First Lady Ramkalawan and Minister Francourt used the visits to the President’s Village (Port Glaud), La Solitude (La Misère) and Foyer de Nazareth (Anse Etoile) whose residents were joined by those from the Foyer de La Providence (St Elizabeth, Victoria), to bring gifts and greetings for the festive season from President Wavel Ramkalawan and also interact with the children and staff.
In order to enhance labour market efficiency by providing actors with relevant and timely information for decision-making, the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs has officially launched the first phase of the country’s first Labour Market Information System (LMIS).
An LMIS is the information on the labour market presented in a consolidated and structured way, and accessible to different users.
It is built on consolidating labour market data collected from different providers (public and private).
The modules of the first phase of the LMIS have been developed by the ministry responsible for employment in close collaboration with the Department of Information Communications Technology (DICT).
They will be used to register vacancies, jobseekers, job placements, and application of redundancy.
The different modules will also assist the ministry to better serve and understand the needs of its clients, while providing information for labour market statistics and analysis.
The first phase of the project was launched yesterday by Vice-President Ahmed Afif, during a ceremony held at the Exiles Club in Victoria, in the presence of Minister for Employment and Social Affairs Patricia Francourt and principal secretary for Employment Jules Baker.
In her introductory remarks, Minister Francourt noted that we are living and working in a digital era, where many parts of our lives and the economy depends on information technology, and as the expectations of clients – the public – increase, they rely on public servants to deliver services timely and efficiently.
She said through these modules, the ministry will be better able to collect, compile and standardise more information on jobs in demand through registered vacancies and the people seeking employment.
This, she said, will also in turn enable it to provide a quicker feedback to its clients and to monitor their employment status.
Minister Francourt further noted that since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic the volume of data recorded by the Employment department has increased, while the move to digitalise the services and to implement the LMIS has been underway for a long time.
This, she said, is part of the ministry’s strategic plan and decent work country programme with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
“I must say that the Covid-19 pandemic has also accelerated this change given that labour market statistics have become of paramount importance more than ever before, in order to understand the economic outlook,” added Minister Francourt who further noted that the availability of reliable data will support this digital transformation and improve the employment analysis.
Minister Francourt also added that the ministry intends to do better and more and that it is its plan to engage private employment agencies to use this system and for the modules to go online for jobseekers and employers to submit applications directly online.
This, she added, will be another milestone that we look forward to.
She said the next phase of the LMIS will cover modules such as non-Seychellois employment and that the Ministry is also working in partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to adopt the organisation’s system of LMIS where all data at national level related to employment will be centralised, compiled, analysed and published.
She thanked the Employment and DICT teams who have worked tirelessly on the development of the forms, programming of the system and facilitating the necessary training to Employment officers on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.
“Your work is appreciated and you have persevered even when our office operations were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” added Minister Francourt.
LMIS provides an essential basis for employment and labour policies, and inform the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies that are better focused and targeted, while it also contributes to a reduction in the transaction costs of labour markets as they help overcome incomplete information of labour market agents.
Roland Duval
Employment Department in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) officially launched the first phase of the Internal Labour Market Information System (LMIS) for the Employment Services and Industrial Relations Modules on Thursday 16th December 2021.
The creation of the modules is to register vacancies, jobseekers, job placements and applications of redundancy. The system will better assist the Ministry to understand the needs of its clients and it will also provide information for labour market statistics and analysis.
The ceremony began with the opening remarks from the Minister for Employment and Social Affairs Mrs. Patricia Francourt where the Minister thanked the Vice-President Mr. Ahmed Afif for his presence, which affirms his continued commitment towards efficient service delivery across Government through information technological tools. Minister Francourt expressed her appreciation to the Minister for Finance, Economic Planning and Trade, Mr Naadir Hassan, for his support in reinforcing the collaboration of the LMIS implementation process between the Departments of Employment and ICT.
Minister Francourt also extended her thanks to the Employment and DICT teams who have worked tirelessly on the development of the forms, programming of the system and facilitating the necessary training to the Employment officers on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.
The Minister continued by adding that as we are living and working in a digital era, where many parts of our life and the economy depends on information technology. As the expectations of the clients - the public increase, they rely on public servants to deliver services timely and efficiently. Therefore introducing the online system will better able the Ministry to collect, compile and standardize more information on jobs in demand through registered vacancies and the people seeking employment. This will also in turn enable the Ministry to provide a quicker feedback to its clients and to monitor their employment status.
Mr. Gerard Gill Director of Software Development from DICT and the officers from Employment Department demonstrated how they will access and insert information of Employer, Employees and Job seekers in the module.
The Vice-President received the honour to press the button to officially launch the live version of the modules. The ceremony was ended after Principal Secretary of Employment Department Mr. Jules Baker and other officials from DICT gave a brief explanation of the next phase of the LMIS.
