Your MPs are returning to work as Parliament resumes and today we will hear in the Throne Speech about what Bermuda can look forward to in the coming year. One of these things will be the Airport Redevelopment Project. The project is a key part of a $1 billion stimulus that is being invested in Bermuda through hotel development, the America’s Cup and casinos to name a few initiatives. This is an investment in Bermuda’s future.

Aside from gaining a “First Tier, First Class, First World” international gateway, and the airport redevelopment being an integral part of Bermuda’s overall economic revitalisation, one of the most talked-about aspects of the new airport project, rightly, is the number of jobs it will bring for Bermudians. Aecon and the Department of Workforce Development collaborated to create a Labour Plan that shows great promise of employment opportunities for suitably qualified Bermudians.

A large number of skills and trades will be required to build Bermuda’s airport to the level of international standards that we expect — from carpenters to steelworkers, there is potential for every qualified, skilled and available Bermudian tradesman to be engaged. The Department of Workforce Development is assessing the skills and trades available in Bermuda’s workforce. For those skills in which there is a shortfall but are not required immediately, the Department of Workforce Development will be developing training programmes in collaboration with the Bermuda College and industry stakeholders to ensure that skilled Bermudian labour is available when it is needed. We want Bermuda’s future to be built by Bermudian hands.

In addition, as part of the project, the Government and Aecon recently announced an internship programme for young Bermudians. This will allow seven young people to develop their personal and professional skills, and to make vital industry connections at world-leading companies in Canada. This is an incredibly exciting and valuable experience for our young people and I encourage any graduates in the relevant fields to apply. This internship programme is a sign of how committed the Canadian Commercial Corporation and Aecon, our partners, are to the project, to Bermuda and its future.

As one of the largest capital projects the island has ever seen, jobs will be created for the construction industry. This month, members of Bermuda’s construction industry will be provided with the vital information on the tendering process for airport construction subcontracts. We expect that many Bermudian companies will bid on and win these contracts.

In the longer term, many more permanent jobs will be created for Bermudians, with increased concessions space at the new airport and roles that will be created in the supervisory quango and at the new Project Company.

The criticism that has been levied against the project has been well documented, and will not be debated again here. What will be highlighted is the benefit to Bermudians to have the ability for job creation, both in the construction of the project and the continuing running of a modern airport, of which we can be truly proud. As an island that prides itself on its tourism industry, it is essential that our airport is a modern, 21st-century facility that projects the true image of Bermuda to our global travellers. The existing terminal fails to do this for Bermudians, for visitors, for businesses and for airport employees, despite the best efforts of airport staff.

This new airport project is not a simple development that can be boiled down to costs and trivial concerns. It is the beginning of a sea change of opportunity for Bermudians, and we must embrace it with both arms.

As I said earlier, this project will offer a number of employment opportunities for Bermudians, and willing participants should plan now to get involved.

• Patricia Gordon-Pamplin is the Minister of Home Affairs and the MP for Paget West (Constituency 23). The redevelopment of L.F. Wade International Airport is being advanced under a development agreement between the governments of Canada and Bermuda. The Canadian Commercial Corporation is a Crown corporation for the Government of Canada and brings expertise in international contracting for complex purchases and the experience to select highly capable suppliers, such as Aecon. Aecon Group Inc is a Canadian leader in construction and infrastructure development, providing integrated turnkey services to private and public sector clients through its Concessions division