JIS: Managing Director of the HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Janet Dyer, says the merger of the entity with the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL), National Youth Service (NYS) and the Apprenticeship Board has better positioned the agency to carry out its role as the driver for human capital development.

 

Dr. Dyer, who was addressing a recent JIS Think Tank, said that the operational and administrative aspects of the merger are complete, while work on the amended Act is in the final stages.

 

She said that the amalgamation of the entities, which is the largest to date in the public service, is in keeping with public sector transformation and modernisation programme and the imperative for a trained and certified labour force to meet the demands of the local and global markets.

 

She noted that the HEART Trust/NTA is now better able to help all working age and retired Jamaicans to maximise their potential for work, volunteerism, mentorship and national service, therefore advancing Jamaica’s growth and development.

 

“As the national training agency, we are obligated to put mechanisms in place to ensure that Jamaicans are equipped with the necessary skills to better themselves,” she noted.

 

Dr. Dyer told JIS News that 97.9 per cent of the institution’s training programmes are aligned with labour market demand. She noted that the agency provides training in eight of the priority sectors under Vision 2030 Jamaica – tourism, information and communications technology (ICT), agriculture, construction, creative industries, manufacturing, and mining and quarrying, which are the latest to be added.

 

Among the objectives of the HEART Trust/NTA are: to increase access to training and certification, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics; upgrade and expand work-based learning and apprenticeship programmes; and support labour market programmes aligned with the economic development and growth agenda.

 

CAPTION: Managing Director of the HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Janet Dyer, addressing a recent JIS Think Tank.