Construction on the TVET centres in Park, Mahaicony, Region Five and in Leonora, Region Three are expected to be finished and open to students in September.
On a recent site visit to both facilities Minister of Education Shaik Baksh said he was satisfied with the progress of the work and urged the contractors to “put their shoulders to the wheel and the deliver the projects on time.”
The centre at Mahaicony is about 40% complete and the one at Leonora is about 58% complete, a press release from the Ministry of Education said. There have been some delays at the Mahaicony centre due to rains in January and the building’s foundation had to be modified to meet the ground condition.
According to the ministry both projects are part of a US$9.6M Canadian Deve-lopment Bank funded programme which also provides for the Technical and Voca-tional Educational Training (TVET) for instructors and the retooling of TVET centres. The main outcomes of the initiative also include a revised and regionally certified TVET curriculum that is more relevant to the current workforce.
The centres will enhance skills training at the rural level, provide a better match of the skill needs and the skills set of the workforce and open avenues of employment for young people. In addition to the regular academic programmes, the centres will offer short courses in various areas of community development, craft and information technology. The centres are expected to house about 200 students each.
The ministry has already implemented the mechanism at the secondary level to produce students for the technical institutions and work has already started to get the local TVET programme compliant with regional standards. Thirty-five secondary schools are offering the Secondary Competence Certificate Programme (SCCP). This initiative has also been implemented at seven practical instruction centres.
The SCCP is designed to equip students who leave schools before completing the secondary cycle, with a skill that will make them employable on the job market, the release said. Under the programme students are instructed in several vocational areas including crops and soil sciences, art and fabric decoration, catering, household management and garment construction, electrical installation, carpentry, joinery, masonry, metal work and welding. Students who complete the programme are presented with certificates which make them eligible for first entry level jobs. The ministry intends to implement this five-year strategic plan in 70 secondary schools by 2013.
Students who successfully complete the Third Form programme can move on to a more advances level in the Fourth Form and eventually write the TVET subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations.
According to the release, the minister also visited the new $293M Leonora Secon-dary School which is under construction. The school is about 65% complete and it is expected to be open in September.
