NCF CEO Highlights Skilled Worker Shortage and Infrastructure Challenges for Crop Over Festival Preparations

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) is grappling with a shortage of skilled workers and infrastructure challenges in preparing for this year’s Crop Over festival, CEO Carol Roberts has revealed.

Roberts told Barbados TODAY: “It has been depending on the kind of event you’re doing. But it’s also what I’m noticing this year: a shortage of skilled manpower. So chatting with event promoters, producers, and service providers, there are tons and tons of events that are not only stretching capital resources and assets but also human resources, lighting technicians, and sound engineers.”

The CEO said the festival needs “qualified, experienced, and with a good work ethic” workers, adding: “We have them; don’t get me wrong, we have them from fledgling all the way up to highly qualified to the point where they’re sought after by other countries, not only regionally but extra regionally. But because I think the world has just thrown the culture and entertainment doors wide open since COVID, and there are just so many events.”

Roberts attributed the current shortages to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many workers were forced to seek alternative employment due to the prolonged shutdown, a trend observed globally. Despite these challenges, Roberts believes the festival is faring relatively well as it gradually rebuilds its resources, although issues such as shipping delays persist.

In response to these challenges, the NCF has been focusing on developing young talent through various training programmes. “We have been doing that, pushing our developmental programmes quietly,” Roberts said. “But we’ve also been offering business development grants so that service providers can scale up. And in some cases, refresh and update their equipment and services. And that will continue going into CARIFESTA next year.”

Looking ahead to CARIFESTA, the region’s cultural olympics which will be held in Barbados next August after a four-year break, Roberts said preparations are well underway for the event. “In this sector, you have to be ready,” she said. “There’s no such thing as not being ready. And then you go into planning mode, and then you execute. So that’s where we are at the moment. Very much ready.”

Roberts highlighted the proactive steps taken towards hosting the regional festival of arts and culture: “We’ve accepted the offer to host it. And so we started our planning in very preliminary stages, led by our Minister, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight, and guided by the Minister of Culture, Prime Minister [Mia] Mottley.”

She added: “Of course, it’s the same team, with the same ministries doing everything from the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup to Crop Over. So as soon as Crop Over is over, then you’ll begin to see scale up for CARIFESTA and other major events next year,” emphasising the seamless transition from one major event to another.

CARIFESTA, which promotes regional culture, diversity, and creativity, was last held in Trinidad and Tobago in 2019. The next event, originally scheduled to be held in Antigua and Barbuda, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Antigua and Barbuda withdrew from hosting the event, paving the way for Barbados to step in as the host nation for 2025.