Economy

SkyCity Presents Airport Redevelopment as a Jobs, Training and Brain-Drain Reversal Project

ST. CROIX — SkyCity is presenting the planned redevelopment of the territory’s two airports as more than a construction project, outlining a long-term workforce initiative that it says could retain existing employees, create skilled careers, support local businesses and provide opportunities for Virgin Islanders living abroad to return home. During a public hearing Monday at the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Croix, consortium officials connected the proposed modernization of Henry E. Rohlsen Airport and Cyril E. King Airport to employment in construction, aviation operations, maintenance, administration, technical services and project management. SkyCity also said it intends to establish training and apprenticeship programs and work with local institutions, including UVI, to prepare residents for specialized positions created during construction and the eventual operation of the redeveloped airports. The presentation offered a broader economic argument for the project as V...