The creation of a one stop career centre was lauded in the House of Assembly, despite criticism over some aspects of the legislation.Explaining the National Training Board Amendment Act 2011, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Patrice Minors said the act would bring the National Training Board together with the Career Development and Labour Relations sections of the Department of Labour and Training to create a “single, cohesive unit.”She said that the NTB consistently sponsors more than 200 students annually, and a workforce development strategy report by the Arnold Group had recommended the One Stop Career Centre she said.“A One Stop Career Centre system is one where Government’s various funded education, training and social programmes can be cohesively coordinated,” the Minister said on Friday.The agency would, Minister Minors said, be presided over by a new board of 20 individuals, made up of “a wider cross section of representatives from the private and public sectors” and implement the NTB’s strategic plan.”“The training functions of the board and the Department will be combined and expanded to offer a broader spectrum of job related training support,” she said.“In the short term we are helping our community to adjust to the changing labour market so that they can secure jobs and prepare themselves for better jobs in the future.“Overall, the Government is committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure that we promote long term sustainable growth in Bermuda in a variety of ways,” she said adding that the One Stop Career Centre was one of the highest priorities.The OBA’s Dr Grant Gibbons said that the concept’s overall aims “makes sense and are laudable” but he noted that the concept was not new as it had been laid out in the 2008 Throne Speech, and the Arnold Group study was done in 2005, he said.“If it’s been around for so many years and not a lot has happened to put it in place why is it happening now?” Dr Gibbons asked. “Had the Government started to move on this back in 2004, 2005 they wouldn’t be scrambling now to put it together.”Dr Gibbons also said that this year’s Budget made mention of a One Stop Career Centre, but that the NTB had been cut by 40 percent.“On the one hand this thing is touted as something new and different and progressive, when you look to see how much Government has put into this, what you see is essentially a loss of over $1.5 million over last year’s budget,” he said. “Is Government really committed to this or is it just lip service?”He further expressed concerns that the amalgamation would result in the NTB losing its independence, especially when it came to establishing trade and certification standards.“There’s a certain amount of independence that’s required here to provide credibility,” he said. “And I worry that we are going to lose some of that independence.”UBP MP Charlie Swan echoed Dr Gibbon’s concerns, saying that while the goal of the centre is a lofty one, he questioned if it would be able to achieve it’s goals.“It’s one thing for Government to do what is being proposed today, and totally another thing to implement it,” he said.He said that it is important for potential career paths to be clearly laid out so that interested parties can make use of services and opportunities that are already available.“It’s better late than never, but our young people in Bermuda really need to see a clear path between what they want to do and actual work,” he said.“The issues that we face in the plumbing industry is the fact that for young people, the chances are there but they are not aware that they are there. Even if they are aware they are there, an actual path to get involved is not always clear.”PLP MP Randy Horton agreed that it might have been better to have established a one stop career centre sooner, but said the important part is that it is coming now that it is needed.“We are really setting away on this path and that is what is most important,” he said. “I, like you, would have liked to see us move faster than we have but we have moved and that is the important part. What we have done is we are now moving into bringing this one-stop centre into reality.“It could not be coming at a more important time. We have changes in the work force, we have people who are losing jobs, we have people who are changing jobs, we have employers who are needing assistance in finding out who has the skills to fill some of the jobs they have in their institutions.”He said the centre would help Bermudians not only find jobs, but finding out how to get into the career that is right for them.Shadow Transport Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin said that the intention of the legislation is laudable, but criticised what she described as a lack of urgency in bringing measures to the House.“We need to be seen in this House as being more than just paper pushers,” she said.UBP Leader Kim Swan stressed the importance of entry level positions in forming careers, saying that taking positions seen as lowly, such as pot washer or rest room attendant, can lead to opportunities for advancement and provides a more well-rounded knowledge of the industry.Minister of Government Estates Michael Scott declared the centre as the central plank in the Government’s plan to find jobs for Bermudians, allowing an opportunity to tap into an underutilised talent pool.And Government backbencher Terry Lister said that while most of the conversation in the House had focused on helping young Bermudians find jobs, the centre will assist anyone in the work force.He emphasised the role of state-of-the-art training and proper certification, saying: “Certification must be a gate, not a fence. I don’t want people to be locked out, I want them to be passed through by their certification.”