Bradshaw: New TVET Policy to be launched soon

Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw says plans are afoot to develop a new National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Policy.

She stated this Policy, which builds on the achievements made by the TVET Council, “is expected to be launched shortly”. She added, “The Ministry will be exploring the upgrade of the education system to place greater emphasis on practical, or vocational, learning so that it better compliments the existing system.”

“The reality is that Barbados can no longer afford to overlook persons who sometimes fall through the cracks of the education system because their learning style being different from others and we therefore have to be able to create a system that is better suited for a more practical and integrated approach to learning.”

Her comments came as she addressed the Closing Ceremony for the inaugural Worldskills Barbados Juniors (WSBJ) Competition. This was held on Monday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

She also told the gathering she is in discussions with Barbados Vocational Training Board and the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology to assess what skillsets are available among the trainers and tutors there and what improvements can be made.

“As a Government we remain committed to incentivizing teachers to acquire skills qualifications so that all teachers will be ‘double qualified’ with both academic and skills qualifications. That process has already started and I can say to you that currently, I am in discussions with the Barbados Vocational Training Board as well as the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology to look at a number of the skills which a number of their trainers and tutors have because it isn’t sufficient for us just to ensure we have the right skillset in the schools, but we have to make sure that we have the right people being able when the children leave school to be able to continue to create those opportunities of training for them outside. [Therefore] we are currently doing an audit to see what skills we have, to see where we need to improve, to ensure that when all of you as young people leave your secondary education institutions that you are able comfortably to move on to do level two or three or four as the case maybe.”

During Monday’s Ceremony several awards were presented to the finalists who excelled in the competition. Students competed in the skill areas of cabinet making, cooking, electrical installation and hairdressing. Taking the top spot in cabinet making was Eden Edghill of Queen’s College with 85.6 per cent, in cooking it was Deryka Grazette also of Queen’s College with 84.8 per cent while in electrical installation it was St. Leonard’s Boys’ School’s, Jalani Yearwood, with 92.8 per cent and in hairdressing it was Graydon Sealy Secondary School’s Tamea Small with 57.9 per cent.

Yearwood additionally successfully won the Best in Competition award for amassing the highest percentage overall. Meanwhile, the prize for the top school overall went to Queen’s College. A special award was given to the Frederick Smith Secondary School in memory of the late Temario Holder who was a finalist in the contest. (MG)