GLEANER: With the importance being placed on students’ mastery of technical and vocational skills, along with academics, seven high schools across northwest Clarendon will benefit from a recent grant of $3.5 million from Member of Parliament Richard Azan through his Constituency Development Fund.

 

The funds will be used to provide or improve facilities that will afford students the opportunity to be formally trained in agriculture, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, building technology, cosmetology, information communications technology (ICT) and carpentry, among others. The beneficiaries for 2017 are Alston High, Knox College High, Thompson Town High, Claude McKay High, Edwin Allen High, C Palmer Project Hope School and Spalding High.

 

In his remarks at the handover ceremony held at Spalding High School on Friday, October 20, Azan advised that it makes no sense a student leaves high school with 13 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects and no skill. He also disclosed plans to impact the primary and infant schools and provide parents with the training needed so that they can add value to their children’s lives.

 

The vocational project, which has been in existence for approximately five years, greatly benefited several schools last year. According to Richard Williams, head of the agriculture department at Alston High, the school was able to expand its poultry house to 400 square feet, increase its poultry stock and purchase a de-feathering machine with the $500,000 grant it received last year.

 

Principal of Spalding High School, George Henry also made mention of his school’s accomplishments through the grant. “We have seen significant improvements in the number of percentage pass rates in various subjects in the industrial arts and economics departments. The allocation allowed us to acquire much needed equipment for these areas,” Henry reported. “This resulted in 100 per cent pass rate for CSEC examinations in food and nutrition, clothing & textile, and cosmetology.

 

We saw 100 percent pass rate in the 2017 sitting of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination for our newly added courses in electrical and electronic engineering technology,” he added.

 

Knox College High, a beneficiary in 2016, has had many successes in building expansion, acquiring appliances and recruiting additional teachers for specialised skills, according to Principal Alexander Bourne. He revealed that in 2017 the school will expand its offerings in ICT, increasing the supply of computers and installing an intranet facility for the school community.

 

Thompson Town and Claude McKay high schools, which receives students whose academic averages are many times in the single digits, reported that these technical and vocational programmes result in their students doing well in external exams.

 

Meanwhile, Wayne Batiste, representative at the HEART Trust/NTA, noted that In addition to students who benefit directly from the technical and vocational programmes, these programmes are for the betterment of the country.

 

“Usually, the ages that are of concern are 17-24, which usually comprise youth at risk; if we don’t impact those persons (through these kinds of programmes), then the future is going to be in trouble.”

 

CAPTION: Mechanical engineering students arranging items they have made for display

JIS: The Joint Committee for Tertiary Education (JCTE), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, will host the third International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) from November 29 to December 1 at the Holiday Inn Resort in Montego Bay.

 

The JCTE’s Senior Marketing and Business Development Consultant and Conference Chair, Jacqueline Knight-Campbell, says the event will bring together individuals and organisations that are collaborating to develop the education sector.

 

“It will explore the building of educational partnerships; strategic leadership for institutional growth development; and professional development in higher education”, she said.

 

She was speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency’s head office in Kingston on Tuesday, October 24.

 

The conference, which will also be supported by Delaware State University in the United States, will include concurrent sessions, workshops, exhibitions and panel discussions.

 

Among the key events are a power breakfast, where heads of local and international companies will engage representatives from educational institutions in dialogue; and an awards ceremony to recognise outstanding educators, the Tertiary Student of the Year and outstanding corporate local and international individuals who have made indelible contributions to education.

 

“It is a leadership conference that will provide the platform for building awareness on the readiness, activities and international exposure and exchange of what is happening in education,” Mrs. Knight-Campbell said.

 

Additionally, she said persons are being invited to present research papers at the conference that should be submitted to the JCTE by Thursday, November 9.

 

The focus areas include developing partnerships for an integrated approach to internationalising tertiary education; enhancing career through networking industry certification and professional organisations; and financing tertiary education for growth and sustainability, both locally and internationally. For further information on registration for the conference, persons may email the

 

JCTE at: [email protected], and for the submission of research papers: [email protected]. Persons may also call 632-4136, 616-7620 or visit www.ucj.org.jm.

 

CAPTION: Senior Marketing and Business Development Consultant for the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education and Chair of the Education and TVET Conference, Jacqueline Knight-Campbell, speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on Tuesday, October 24.

JIS: As the parent of a hearing-impaired teenager, Marcia Hunter welcomes the Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project, which, she says, will open up academic opportunities for her daughter and positively impact her future ambitions.

 

In an interview with JIS News, Ms. Hunter says her 18-year-old daughter, who attends the Lister Mair/Gilby High School for the Deaf, puts no limits on herself.

 

The talented teen, who is in Grade 12, already has a distinction in Visual Arts at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) level, and is preparing to sit additional examinations in Mathematics, Accounts and Information Technology (IT) in 2018.

 

The proud mother who supports her ambitious daughter in her pursuit of a career as a teacher of the deaf in visual arts or mathematics, says the project is a positive step in the right direction to foster greater inclusion and opportunities for members of the deaf community.

 

For his part, State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, hails the initiative, which he says is in line with the Government’s national development agenda, which seeks to ensure that every member of society is included in the process.

 

“If we are to truly move Jamaica forward, it must be with an effective education system that leaves no child behind,” Mr. Green asserts.

 

Launched in September, the three-year project aims to realise five major objectives, including an increase in the number of deaf students functioning at age-appropriate levels for literacy development by 10 percentage points in all schools operated by the major service providers of deaf education in Jamaica.

 

These are the Danny Williams School for the Deaf; Lister Mair/Gilby High School for the Deaf; and Excelsior Primary School Integrated Unit for the Deaf, in Kingston; Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf – Kingston and Mandeville campuses; Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf, St. James; May Pen Unit for the Deaf, Clarendon; Port Antonio Unit for the Deaf, Portland and St. Christopher’s School for the Deaf, St. Ann.

 

Activities to be implemented to achieve this objective include diagnostic assessment of vulnerable students, specially designed reading competitions and workshops, reading boot camps and educational field trips.

 

The second objective is the development of a Jamaican Sign Language (JSL) curriculum to be incorporated in schools for the deaf by 2020.

 

It is expected that this will assist in developing students’ comprehension and critical thinking skills as well as act as a catalyst for students to access higher education.

 

Pointing out that deaf persons using JSL have difficulty communicating written thoughts, Ms. Hunter says that the project comes at an opportune time, as it will assist her daughter in her exam preparations.

 

“With the Literacy in English Language, it will improve her grammar and bring more awareness about language arts. It will also assist her in her exams and improve her ability to relate to a hearing person in terms of her writing,” she adds.

 

Two other significant goals of the project are to have a minimum of 75 per cent of all teachers advancing at least two levels of JSL Communicative Competence at the end of the project; and to empower parents of the deaf to effectively parent and communicate with their children.

 

To achieve this, the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) will be teaching parents sign language and effective parenting strategies. They will also be coached on how to read with their children using sign language, through the JAD’s Shared Reading Programme.

 

Ms. Hunter, who is attending sign language classes at JAD, says being able to communicate properly with her child is important as this is the only way she can nurture the critical parent-child relationship, and is encouraging all persons, particularly parents with hearing-impaired children, to learn this language.

 

“You have to find time for your child, especially if he or she has special needs. You need to be able to communicate with your child,” she says.

 

Meanwhile, Project Manager, Tisha Ewen-Smith, says that with more than 90 per cent of students across the island’s primary and secondary schools for the deaf functioning below the expected grade levels in reading comprehension, the project will equip these children with the necessary skills to advance to higher education and improve their outcomes as adults.

 

“The goal of the project is to increase the literacy level of deaf children in all schools operated by the major service providers of deaf education in Jamaica… and ensure equal access as clients, students and, most importantly, as citizens of Jamaica,” she says.

 

The programme will impact more than 400 deaf children and their families as well as 100 educators in nine participating schools for the deaf.

 

The Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project is slated to run from April 2017 to April 2020, and is being implemented by the JAD, in partnership with international funding agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), spells his name in sign language during the launch of the Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston recently. The project aims to increase the literacy level of hearing-impaired children. It is being implemented by the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), in partnership with international funding agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Observing are Acting Mission Director for USAID, Rebecca Robinson (centre) and Chairman of the Executive Board of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, Christopher Williams.

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, has called on local universities to ensure that the degree programmes being offered are in keeping with the country’s development goals, the Government’s economic priorities, and are on par with the very best international standards.

 

Delivering greetings at the University Council of Jamaica’s (UCJ) sixth annual Dr. Dennis Irvine Lecture Series at The Knutsford Court Hotel in St. Andrew on October 19, Mr. Green said that as the nation becomes more developed and careers change, universities should adjust their programmes to match jobs that are currently available and will be accessible to upcoming graduates.

 

“We have to ensure that our tertiary programmes are relevant, and that we are not constantly training our young people in areas that are not aligned to the Government’s economic priorities,” he emphasised.

 

“The reality is, as a Government, we have to comprehensively relook at our tertiary funding model, and that tertiary funding model must align with the economic priorities of the day. In essence, there are a number of areas in which we lack professionals, in which we need to ramp up our training, and in which we need to guide some of our young people to choose those areas,” Mr. Green added.

 

He said that amidst a world of constant change and the desire to bring more trained personnel into the workforce, the country cannot afford to allow the push for more to dilute the commitment to high-quality training.

 

“The UCJ has not done that over the past 30 years, and neither can they afford to do so now. Let us all recommitted ourselves to the ideals of the UCJ and to ensuring that Jamaica’s tertiary institutions are providing programmes and training that are on par with the very best international standards,” the State Minister urged.

 

He challenged the universities to ensure that the programmes they are offering to students now, will result in them being employed immediately after completing degrees at the tertiary level.

 

“There are some tertiary institutions which have an 80 per cent placement rate when our young people are finished, and there are others where a number of young people are at home with degrees, with a difficulty in finding gainful employment. That is a reality that we have to treat together as we craft our future for Jamaica,” Mr. Green said.

 

Meanwhile, President, Northern Caribbean University (NCU), Dr. Lincoln Edwards, who was the guest speaker at the Lecture Series, said the universities have to be mindful that the offerings of the institutions depend on the demands of the students, who are their customers, with ideas of the offerings on the job market.

 

“Students have an eye on the job market and the skills and competencies which will position them strongly for employment. As universities respond to the growing range of demands and opportunities, and to increase in competition, they will need to become more diverse. Individual institutions must seek to occupy functional niches where there is a good match between their particular strengths and the market opportunities that exist,” Dr. Edwards said.

 

He added that universities also need to pay attention to globalisation to influence the directions they take regarding their degree offerings, which are in keeping with international standards.

 

“The growth in globalisation requires explicit attention to international quality assurance in education that will enable our people to maximise their potential and enable national development to the highest possible level. In order to be competitive, our universities and colleges must focus special attention on designing and implementing new quality-assurance mechanisms and systems in order to ensure that students receivehigh-quality and relevant education, and that the degrees and diplomas they offer are widely recognised,” Dr. Edwards said.

 

The Lecture Series is held in honour of the late Chairman, UCJ, Dr. Dennis Irvine, who was a distinguished educator who contributed significantly to tertiary education nationally, regionally and internationally for more than 50 years.

 

He served the Council as Chairman for 11 years. He was appointed as the Council’s first Chairman and served from 1987-1989. He was later reappointed in 1996 and held the position up to the time of his passing.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), greets President, Northern Caribbean University, Dr. Lincoln Edwards, at the sixth Dr. Dennis Irvine Lecture Series, held on October 19 at The Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.

GLEANER: If we say that the world has changed, it would be as cliched as saying that we use smartphones, which, apart from being a desired piece of technology to own, has brought information to the palms.

 

When was the last time you needed information and consulted a library or even an actual physical book? Certainly for in-depth research, one would consult research papers, books by experts, but the first thing you did was to whip out your phone, open its browser and “Googled it”.

 

From that web search, it led you to the correct resources whether books, newspaper articles or research papers you may have needed. If this is how we currently access the world, and we agree that the world is changing every day and we are raising the first generation to never live without the Internet, why doesn’t their learning reflect this? In 2017, are our children still going to the “computer lab” for “computer class”? or going to the library to do research?

 

To access this article today, you may have bought a physical newspaper, you may have subscribed to the app, or you may have logged on to the Jamaica Gleaner website, and many more still would see a thumbnail to a link on various social media platforms. they will read it on their phones, on their tablets, or go “old school” and sit on their verandas and turn page by page. This is because with access come options, and with options comes power, and with power – well, the world, as they say – is your oyster.

 

Blended learning – with technology combining the traditional classroom approach integrated within schools – should be standard. For one, infusing technology maximises learning potential and human potential.

 

The case is currently being made to introduce zoning in schools in Jamaica, which might yield limited choices for parents to choose a school of their choice for their children. But imagine delivering instruction in a format that might be an answer to zoning.

 

It isn’t hard to imagine because we as adults participate in online degrees, webinars, and conferences online. We are able to speak to experts in any given field at the touch of a button. We participate in concerts live from thousands of miles away because we have been practising blended living for so long. why is this not so in our schools?

 

The future of learning is exciting because learning is becoming more personalised than ever. Sure, employers want employees who are able to use PowerPoint and Excel, maybe even code an app, but technology consistently presents the “user experience”. When our children are in a school system they might not access to technology as the world knows it. It forces the student to live in two worlds. It limits their thinking, their imagination, creativity, and how they learn.

 

Education that infuses technology as part and parcel of life seamlessly integrates children with best practices of access to technology and allows them to be responsible citizens in using it. While many services we access have started charging for physical access, there is the need to think beyond the physical textbooks, which are an expensive proposition.

 

 REAP THE BENEFITS

 

Within the E-learning framework, using the E-version of the text allows schools to always use the latest version of the text. it is, of course, cheaper for all stakeholders and allows the student to reap the benefits of having the very best instruction.

 

In everything, there is a requirement of balance. the world is built on efficiency, using the right tools to get the job done right the first time. however, positioning a “basic need” as a privilege lends itself to misuse and abuse. Institutions of learning with technology infused within the curriculum integrate the use of electronic devices in the classrooms. This abandons the desire for misuse, and leaves room for communication with children about being responsible users and how to navigate the “muddy waters”.

 

Parents are always concerned with the amount of “screen time” their children have. We want them to “go outside and play”, actually get dirty, even know what dirt is, we limit their screen time to the weekends or as a form of punishment partly because even though technology is undeniably within our own DNA, we ask our children to “gear down” when it comes to interweaving it within their own lives, even though when we are stumped, we ask them to intervene and fix it for us.

 

It is hypocritical to insist that we expect 100 per cent digital immersion, but we ask our children to “gear down” at school, where they spend the majority of their day.

 

The goal of education is access, which goes beyond an A or a 4.0 GPA. it is levelling the playing field. Access gives opportunity and provides a space to mould oneself into the best fit. our children deserve access to the very best education Wi-Fi can buy.

 

– Article courtesy of the American International School of Kingston (AISK), a global centre for excellence in education. Send feedback to [email protected].

GLEANER: Since 2006, the MultiCare Youth Foundation, based in downtown Kingston, has been conducting the Art on the Street programme. Every Saturday morning, approximately 30 children from Parade Gardens and surrounding inner-city communities across Kingston can be spotted on the roadside participating in art classes in locations including Fletchers Land, Franklin Town, Rae Town, Olympic Gardens, and Gold Street.

 

Participants are led by visual arts Coordinator at the Foundation, Stanford Watson, and are taught:

 

– Screen printing from design to production

 

– Block printing

 

– Basketry, using various mediums

 

– Fine arts

 

– Painting

 

– Jewellery making

 

– Fashion designing

 

– Ceramics and other three-dimensional areas

 

– Photography

 

Currently, four age groups are able to access the programme:

 

– Ages 5-8

 

– Ages 9-11

 

– Ages 12-14

 

– Ages 15-18

 

The programme was conceived with the intention of finding the good that exists in these communities and using various art forms to highlight these positive elements so that youth living within these communities can use it as an encouraging reference point.

 

At the same time, it was envisaged that the programme would allow for the creation of a creative space where specifically targeted youth within these communities could learn and express themselves. Within this framework, participants would learn important skills, but more important, they would assist in creating the aesthetic that would better define themselves and their communities. For those who have shown clear artistic talent, they are expected to create at a level where they can become competent in their specialised area. They can even take it a step further and use their art to embark on their own entrepreneurial/professional path. Already, some of the art that is produced in the programme is sold through the Foundation.

 

Art on the Street is part of The MultiCare Youth Foundation’s Visual Arts programme, which also includes the provision of training workshops and guided practice for teachers and students in a variety of art forms, with emphasis on the value of art for creative expression and as a career option.

 

The benefits of using art to positively influence vulnerable youth are many. International studies have shown that students who participate in not only visual arts, but also performing arts, are significantly less likely than non-participants to drop out of school, be arrested, use drugs, or engage in binge drinking. Other studies are finding correlations between arts education and improvements in academic performance and standardised test scores, increases in student attendance, and decreases in school dropout rates.

 

Specifically, the arts and other related disciplines provide critical tools for children and youth as they move through various developmental stages. Preschool children, before they are fluent in language, are powerfully affected by music, visual arts, and dance. Preschoolers can paint, colour, mould clay, sing songs, and dance in order to convey feelings and ideas. These activities encourage young children to express themselves and learn through the use of non-verbal symbols.

 

Teenagers, on the other hand, tend to struggle with issues of identity, independence, competency, and social role. The arts help to mediate this confusion, while providing a means to express pain and unfulfilled longings during an important phase of growth. The arts simultaneously engage the competent, hopeful, and healthy aspects of the adolescents’ being.

 

In the near future, the goal is to introduce Art on the Street to more inner-city communities across Kingston. Given the high incidence of criminal activity among our youth, it is hoped that these and other art programmes will allow this negative focus to be channelled into other areas, ultimately leading to the development of well-rounded and productive adults.

 

n New Employment Opportunities for Youth in Jamaica is part of the regional programme, New Employment Opportunities for Youth (NEO). NEO seeks to improve human capital and the employability of one million vulnerable youth across Latin America and the Caribbean by 2022 and is s being executed in Jamaica by Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE). Email: [email protected].

 

CAPTION: Artist Kimani Beckford meticulously paints a story with delicate brushstrokes on a mural.

GLEANER: Twenty teachers from six primary and secondary schools participated in a process drama workshop held at the St Michael’s Primary School on Tower Street in Kingston on October 13, 2017. Hosted by The MultiCare Youth Foundation (MYF), the training was aimed at encouraging the teaching of creativity in classrooms and, particularly, the nurturing of creative-writing skills.

 

Presented by Brian Heap, MYF’s volunteer performing arts coordinator and lecturer at The University of the West Indies, the full-day workshop explored the use of basic fun and drama techniques in educational settings, with an emphasis on process drama, story-drama, and drama experiences that support learning and the making of meaning within the school environment.

 

Participants were exposed to various methods of role play and a broad range of stories for children, including books that address common issues faced by students, which can be used as the basis for developing drama experiences in the classroom. The literature provides rich opportunities for problem solving, decision making, and reflection.

 

According to Heap: “By equipping teachers with the requisite creative techniques, they can, in turn, assist children and young people in developing literacy skills, while also refining critical thinking and cognitive skills, thereby helping them to realise their full creative potential.”

 

The Process Drama Workshop is the first in a series of teacher-training workshops being offered under The MultiCare Youth Foundation’s Performing Arts Programme to teachers in the 31 MultiCare-assisted schools in east, west, and central Kingston and Greater Portmore.

 

The programme is supported through grant funding from the American Friends of Jamaica.

 

Participating teachers indicated that the content of the workshop was creative and effective and could easily be applied in delivering the curriculum to students in different subject areas and at various levels. Among them were the principal, vice-principal and teachers of St Michael’s Primary and Infant Schools and teachers from Holy Family Primary, St Jude’s Primary, North Street Primary, Whitfield Town Primary, and Donald Quarry High School.

 

Delivery of these workshops is in keeping with the Foundation’s mission and mandate to enhance the lives of vulnerable and marginalised children and youth through educational and recreational programmes.

 

CAPTION: Workshop participants show off their Certificates of Participation at the end of the MultiCare Youth Foundation’s Process Drama Workshop held on October 11 at the St Michael’s Primary School.

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green is calling for more university graduates to pursue political office.

 

Noting that this is part of his ‘Jamaican Dream’, Mr. Green said the country needs its brightest people to serve in Government.

 

The State Minister, who was addressing the Honours Convocation ceremony at the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Mandeville, Manchester, on October 19,     noted that he got involved in politics because he wanted to make a contribution to this very important area of national development.

 

“Consider what would happen in a country where the best and the brightest don’t get involved in politics. Just who would get involved?” he asked.

 

Other aspects of his Jamaican Dream include encouraging tertiary-level students to start youth clubs in their communities to reach vulnerable youth, and for universities to incorporate mentorship programmes for high schools with students serving as mentors.

 

Meanwhile, the State Minister pointed to the need for more Jamaicans to pursue tertiary education.

 

“The reality is that tertiary education is critical; it is no longer optional. It is no longer hard to become a tertiary graduate; we now have online universities, so we have to get more of our young people trained up to the tertiary level,” he said.

 

He noted that the Government has made it easier for students to access tertiary studies, by lowering interest rates on loans from the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB).

“We have reduced the interest rates on students’ loans from 9.5 per cent to six per cent for Pay As You Study (PAYS) loans. We also reduced the interest rates on postgraduate loans from 13 per cent to 9.5 per cent, because you cannot just stop at a first degree in this new world. We have also started to calculate your loans on a reducing balance method, which lowers the amount to be repaid,” Mr. Green pointed out.

 

He said there are also lower rates for areas of study that are directly related to the Government’s growth agenda.

 

Mr. Green said the Government is looking at lengthening the number of years that graduates would have to repay their loans, as it is recognised that it may take some time for persons to find a job.

 

The State Minister lauded the NCU for having produced some of the finest graduates in Jamaica.

 

“I have found that the NCU graduate is much more equipped to take on the working world. I have come in contact with a number of your media graduates and find them to be very professional, honest and hard-working, so you are clearly doing something right at NCU that needs to be emulated,” he said.

He encouraged the students to “maintain your commitment to academic excellence while seeking ways to be of service to your community and the wider nation.”

 

He cited the United Students Movement as providing a platform for young people to give service.

 

“I also encourage you to dream big, broadly and ensure that you do all you can to achieve your dream,” he added.

 

The State Minister noted that the Government has big plans for Mandeville to become a university town, and NCU is critical to achieving that goal.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right) is in light conversation with President of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), Dr. Lincoln Edwards (left), just before the start of the Honours Convocation ceremony on the grounds of the institution in Mandeville, Manchester, on October 19

GLEANER: As Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) continues to be integrated into general education, not only in Jamaica but also within the region, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid has reiterated its importance.

 

According to Reid, TVET will become a driving force in propelling the effort to strengthen the economies of the region and the world.

 

While commending the progress made to standardise vocational education and its impact on human capital development and economic competitiveness in the region, Reid said the integration will provide the relevant platform to respond to the demands of the modern workforce.

 

Addressing the WorldSkills International Competition and Ministers Technical and Vocational, Education and Training Summit in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week, the minister said with the addition of TVET, the country’s education system is undergoing a much needed transformation in response to changing job market demands and global economic trends.

 

The promotion of TVET, he said, is a strategic move to prepare the Jamaican workforce to seize the employment opportunities that are increasingly opening up in the technical and vocational fields.

 

RELEVANT TO GLOBAL SHIFTS

“While technology is changing and forcing changes in education, the gate keepers of traditional programmes in the major universities must now look at diversifying its degree programmes to students. Policy makers must now drive the discussion of deconstructing the traditional offerings at the tertiary level, making them more relevant to global shifts in the employment market,” Reid said.

 

Reid, who spoke on the topic ‘Voice of the Youth: Ground Realities in the Age of Disruption’, said with the Caribbean Maritime Institute now attaining university status, this change has created major waves in Jamaica that has allowed for individuals who attend the institution to achieve more globally competitive advantages when they begin to seek jobs or move towards entrepreneurship.

 

“A radical shift is needed in the education sector, as economic growth areas such as business process outsourcing, tourism, constructions, agriculture, are significant employers of youth who are trained in TVET,” Reid said.

 

“The way forward is TVET and this need to become a global imperative and all voices must be included as equal partnerships in the process of youth empowerment. Jamaica is on that path of development.”

 

… Summit explores policy solutions in skills development

 

The World Skills International Competition and Ministers Technical and Vocational, Education and Training Summit, held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week, was organised by the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training. It complemented the WorldSkills International Competition and Conference 2017, where leading figures from industry, government and international organisations gathered to shape the global skills agenda, as well as to watch thousands of skill competitors from close to 60 countries vying for gold, silver and bronze medals.

 

The summit provided a forum to explore pressing issues and potential policy solutions in the realm of skills development. It also offered opportunities to engage with partners of the global Vocational Education and Training (TVET) arena and the World Skills community.

 

The panel included: Jamaica’s Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid; Minister of Education of the United Arab Emirates Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi; Director General of Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission Michel Servoz; Minister of Labour and Employment, Republic of Korea, Kim Young-Joo; Engineer, Spectrum Quality, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, UAE, Sara Ahmad; and youth forum participant and WorldSkills Champions Trust representative for Europe and Russia, Anna Prokopenia.

 

[email protected]

 

JIS: The two-year-old Trench Town Polytechnic College in St. Andrew is looking to boost enrolment as it carries out its mandate to equip persons with skills to meet the demands of the labour market.

 

The institution, which started classes in October 2015 offering programmes with a focus on aligning training with industry needs, has already attracted hundreds of students from communities within its vicinity and areas as far away as Portmore, Harbour View and Papine, in day and evening classes.

 

Principal of the institution, Dr. Dosseth Edwards-Watson, tells JIS News that all the programmes are undersubscribed and the administration will be striving to reach more persons.

 

She says that the courses offered are market-driven, matching skills with labour industry needs. “We rely on industry to tell us what is in demand… . At the Polytechnic, we are big on inculcating employable skills,” she says.

 

She notes further that “every programme has entrepreneurship built into it”, so not only are students prepared for a job but to also create their own employment.

 

Dr. Edwards-Watson says that a major focus of administrators and staff is to ensure that the school environment represents all the attributes of care, so that human capital can be developed for national and global impact.

 

“We strive to maintain a compassionate environment and demonstrate a culture of care,” she points out.

 

Located at Eighth Street at the site of the former Trench Town High School, the multidisciplinary community college provides a holistic curriculum that is designed to give students a competitive edge.

 

Through collaboration with HEART Trust/NTA, Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) and the Jamaican-German Automotive School (JAGAS), the college offers programmes in areas such as data operation, auto body repair, customer service, maritime studies, port operations, and logistics.

 

There are also courses in mathematics, English language, career and personal development, entrepreneurship, computer repairs and electronics, social work, renewable energy, culinary arts, theatre arts and production, and scores of other disciplines.

 

Having received the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) stamp of approval, the institution is now empowered to award 10 associate, 12 applied associate, four bachelor’s, and three applied bachelor’s degrees.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the institution is providing opportunities for continuous education, filling a gap for students between grades 11 and 13.

 

“This is the model that we are going to replicate right across the country,” he says.

 

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard, notes that often, persons are not trained for available jobs, but the college will “help to close that gap”.

 

CCCJ Executive Director, Dr. Donna Powell-Wilson, informs that the college will be subject to the organisation’s quality assurance process and course expansion to reach more people.

 

She notes that Trench Town Polytechnic is responding to the needs of residents of the area and its environs “at a time when it is crucial for young people, as well as mature Jamaicans, to become certified”.

 

Dr. Powell-Wilson contends that with the confidence that has been shown in the institution by the certifying body, members of the Trench Town business sector must now partner with the college to ensure its success.

 

“All hands are needed on deck to make this venture succeed for Jamaica’s sake,” she says.

 

For President of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Donna Drummonds, having a “model school” in the community known for producing some of the world’s greatest reggae artistes, “is the way to go”.

 

She is urging young people, in particular, to take advantage of the opportunity to transform their lives.

 

Board member of the institution, Pastor Winston Clarke, notes that in its short existence, the college has already made a mark as a “key community asset”.

 

He says that residents now have an opportunity to improve their academic standards and job-readiness skills.

 

“We envision deeper partnerships with other community institutions in offering new and exciting courses,” he says.

 

The college can be contacted at [email protected], or 501-1264, 501-1253.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (third left), receives the document for the Trench Town Polytechnic College to offer Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ)-certified courses from Executive Director, CCCJ, Dr. Donna Powell-Wilson (second right) at the recent media launch of the St. Andrew-based institution. Others (from left) are Chairman of the college, Dr. Joan Spencer-Ernandez; nursing student, Shanique Rumble; and Principal of the college, Dr. Dosseth Edwards-Watson.