Number of CVQs to be increased in schools

TO date, 25 Caribbean Vocational Qualifi-cations (CVQs) are offered in secondary schools across the island. Come September however, that number is expected to increase, reaching approximately 40 CVQs.

Henderson Wiltshire, Education Officer in the Secondary Section of the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, revealed the above as he delivered remarks during a grad-uation ceremony held recently for youth who took part in the Youth Farm Programme, hosted by the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA), last summer.

Pointing out that Barbados is moving towards a demand-driven system, Wiltshire also noted that over the next few months, Barbadians will see an initiative being launched where students will be trained in this demand-driven model, leading towards higher levels of employment and teachers will be encouraged to train students to meet industry standards.

“This will be specifically for students in the CVQ programme. To this end, I wish to encourage teachers to seek out attachment opportunities, so that when you deliver your CVQ programmes, you are training students specifically to what industry requires or expects. This would be for all CVQs offered in secondary schools,” the education officer stated.

He meanwhile commented, “It is the mission of the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation to ensure that all students leave schools with some form of certification, whether it is CCSLC, CSEC, CVQs or CAPE.”

“The Ministry therefore will continue to support this very important (Youth Farm) programme, which seeks to further train and certify students in the various agriculture Caribbean Vocational Qualifi-cations,” he further stated, adding that the CVQs are growing in acceptance by businesses and high education institutions. (RSM)

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