Bring back the cultural ‘face’ of the CNMI community

Editor’s Note: The following the complete text of the speech that Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Charles Cepeda delivered during the Workforce Development Summit held on Nov. 30, 2006.

Good morning everyone. I am happy to see so many people here today to tackle the difficult questions that must be answered about the workforce in the CNMI.

Many of you realize, as I do, that this summit is only a piece of the work that is being done now to address CNMI workforce issues and the high number of jobs held by non-resident workers. The Saipan Chamber of Commerce is working with Mike Sablan of OPA on a job audit, and I believe that you will see today some of the information that effort has produced. According to reports, Dan Nielson is beginning work on the second half of a grant that was left untouched for years, and of course NMC’s School of Business.

I trust and hope that all of these groups will collaborate under a single leadership entity to work together to come up with a common solution to this long-term problem. Perhaps these groups could convene in a month or so, when they have finished their work, and put it all together in one plan.

But the main thing I want to suggest to you about today is bringing back the cultural “face” of our community, especially in the hospitality sector. This would be a great benefit of employing more locals in the workforce. When I travel to Korea or to China or to the Philippines, I am greeted by their local people at the airport, in the taxi, at the hotel, and in the restaurant. I KNOW that I am in Korea, or China, or the Philippines. But when tourists come to Saipan, they often see and interact with very few Chamorros or Carolineans in the hospitality trade.

Our islands have few natural resources such as gold or coal waiting to be extracted. But what we DO have in abundance are our beautiful islands and waters and, even more valuable, our people, our traditions, and our heritage of warmth and friendliness. This is what we can offer to our tourists–the unique opportunity to become acquainted with a Micronesian culture. But they can only do that if local people are employed in front-line tourist employment.

I hope that one of the recommendations to come out of today’s gathering will be the request for NMC to offer a first-class, comprehensive hospitality training program. We need well-trained islanders to assure that tourists and other visitors have a first-class, island experience from the moment they step off their plane. We need staff who always greet visitors with warm smiles, who extend our natural friendliness on a regular basis, and who are mindful of the customs and expectations of other nationalities and can make people of all nationalities feel at home here.

We also need islanders who are able to communicate with visitors from Japan, Korea, China, and Russia. So I hope that another strong recommendation from this day’s summit is that education in these foreign languages must be started early in elementary schools, and continued throughout middle school and high school. Saipan is at the crossroads between North America and Asia. To capitalize on this exceptional position, we must be prepared to converse with all visitors, whether they come as tourists or as investors.

Whether it is in the area of hospitality or other business needs, I encourage NMC to offer dynamic classes that teach students about the real-life issues and skills that are needed. I hope that all business classes are offered in conjunction with private businesses, that teachers are drawn from the business world, experienced business people who can bring their first-hand experiences into the classroom. The college should pursue constant interaction with the business community about classes that are offered, to assure that they are meeting the current and future needs of the CNMI. I applaud this workshop today as a way to start addressing that needed interaction.

Speaking about the future needs of the CNMI, I want to briefly touch on the issue of minimum wage. I know that it will be addressed today, and it is a central issue when discussing employment. The Chamber of Commerce is developing a position on minimum wage, and I will look forward to hearing what today’s participants believe is the right course of action for the CNMI to take.

There is a proposal for an economic study to determine the impact that raising the minimum wage will have on the CNMI’s economy. Such economic study will enhance our position as we negotiate with the Federal government about any proposed changes in wages here.

I suggest that any economic study not only looks at our current economy, but also where we want to be in five years. Right now we still have garment factories that may need to be protected. Do we really think our economy will depend on garment factories in five years? Will we have a choice, with the garment industries having better offers in Asia? MVA has put together a great five-year plan that addresses tourism. I believe that tourism will always be a mainstay of our island economy. But what else are our options?

Do we want to encourage more call centers? Do we want to be a center of international financing? Do we want to be a hub of American education for Asian students? Do we want to be a retirement center for the silver market with condo owners? These are just a few of the options that we could have. I believe that an economic study should identify possible future businesses for the CNMI, and how an increased wage structure would affect that future. If we don’t know where we are going, we certainly won’t get there. We have to have a vision for our economic future, and then take the necessary steps, one by one, to make that future a reality.

I know that I have raised some hard questions. I wish you luck in your work today. Workforce issues are complicated and difficult to tease out. I’m very glad that this summit is addressing these issues. I look forward to hearing your recommendations in this important area.