April 30, 2012 No. 23/12-G The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will conduct two separate national workshops on "Computerised Job Estimation Tool (CJET) for Artisans and Small Contractors and Food Hygiene and Safety Practices (FHSP)" during the period May 22-25, 2012, in the Cayman Islands. The workshops will coincide with CDB's Annual Board of Governors Meeting to be held in Cayman Islands. The workshops will be facilitated through CDB's Caribbean Technological Consultancy Services (CTCS) Network, which contributes to strengthening private sector capabilities by linking people who have business and technical experience with businesses that need consulting advice and assistance. The CJET workshop, slated for May 22-25, 2012, will be held in collaboration with the Cayman Islands Department of Commerce and Investment (DCI) and the University College of Cayman Islands (UCCI). CJET, developed by the CTCS Network to give artisans and small contractors a better competitive advantage, is a simple but effective computerised tool which allows the small contractor to always know his finite cost as he progresses through preparation of each line item in the bill of quantities. The tool allows the contractor to be in a position to determine and manipulate the quality of his bid, see the impact of a given bid ratio/rate on the overall line cost and to anticipate the projected earnings in excess of each line cost. This capability, therefore, allows the contractor to intentionally bid high or low on a given line item, while maintaining the option to spread any projected line losses over other items. The CTCS Network will be partnering with the DCI, Department of Environment and Health; Department of Agriculture and UCCI to expose 50 nationals from the Cayman Islands to FHSP training during the period May 22-24, 2012. The training will target persons who operate food service entities or are employed in the food service departments of hotels, restaurants, fast food outlets, government or private institutions providing food service. This workshop seeks to address the critical issues and requirements necessary for ensuring good and safe FHSP, and provides the participants with definitive and easy-to-understand guidelines for setting up effective hygiene and sanitation protocols and procedures, irrespective of their level of involvement in the business of food preparation and service. Selected entities represented at the training will be given an opportunity to participate in In-plant Voluntary Audits to be conducted by the CTCS Consultant at the completion of the workshop. These audits will be conducted in collaboration with the management of the respective businesses or institutions, and will result in the preparation of a confidential and non-binding audit report for each entity audited. The purpose of the exercise and the resulting confidential audit reports is to assist management of the various audited businesses and institutions in identifying areas of deficiency and excellence, and to define the steps necessary to correct any FHSP deficiencies identified.