The Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) will be piloted in 11 schools starting September 2019, according to a release on Monday from the Ministry of Education.
The Ministry says it is collaborating with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on the implementation of the CVQ within the secondary schools: Canje Secondary, Aurora Secondary, New Bartica Secondary, Paramakatoi Secondary, BV Practical Instruction Centre, Parika Salem Secondary, Dolphin Secondary, Belladrum, Linden Foundation Secondary, St. Ignatius Secondary and North West Secondary school.
At the launch of the Pre-Stakeholder meeting for the Piloting of the CVQ in Guyana on Monday at the Umana Yana, the Minister of Education, Dr Nicolette Henry, said that the implementation of CVQ in secondary schools is guided by the Regional Technical Vocational Education and Training in secondary schools. The release said that it is aimed at providing opportunities for secondary school students to exit with at least one skill certificate.
She said that on the completion of the CVQ programme, students will have three options: continue their secondary education by pursuing the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC), to further their technical vocational education or to enter the job market.
Henry said that these options will be possible through two aspects of the CVQ awarded by CXC where students complete all the required units of a particular occupational standard and are awarded a CVQ or where the CVQ is integrated into the CSEC through the School Based Assessment and a Statement of Competency is awarded.
“Much has been invested into the implementation, execution and sustainability of this programme, such as the training of teachers as assessors…Audits of
schools to determine the gaps based on CVQ Quality Assurance Guidelines according to the 2015 revision and putting systems, equipment and in some cases even structures to bridge the gaps so as to satisfy the CVQ Quality Assurance Guidelines within a specified timeline”, Henry said.
She said that this programme will result in less school dropouts.
According to the release, Chairman of the Council for Technical Education, Vocation and Training (CTVET), Floyd Scott said “The scope of the skill qualification in Guyana spans from agriculture to the oil and gas sectors. In the last two years there has been renewed vigour in dealing with what is happening within the CTVET context”.
He said that CTVET over the years has been able to approve as many as 15 occupational and skills within the areas of refrigeration, air conditioning, plumbing, welding, carpentry furniture making, occupational safety and health.
CXC Representative, Linda Stewart-Doman during her remarks said that TVET in the region is necessary for relevant skills development, human capital development and for preparing skilled and competitive workforce.
“The Caribbean Vocational Qualification is an award that represents the achievement of a set of competences. The CVQ seeks to facilitate the free movement of skilled workers within the single market and economy, developing students with attributes of the ideal Caribbean worker, enhance the profile and attractiveness of CARICOM labour force and to organise TVET systems across the region,” Stewart-Damon said, according to the release.
She said that the pre-readiness audit is conducted prior to any implementation of a programme within any territory.
