Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 27, 2013 (SKNIS): The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council has predicted a bright future for TVET and local businesses from discussions at its recent TVET policy review consultation.
During the meetings with UNESCO representatives (who provided professional assistance in reviewing the policy) it was articulated that the new policy will include programmes that suit the needs of the local businesses.
Principle TVET Officer Fitzroy Wilkin explained that the TVET Council will work closely with businesses in this regard.
“We recognise that the interaction between the TVET Council and the private sector [needs to be deepened] in the sense that when the council interacts with the private sector, our main focus is the type of training programmes that are being offered and the quality of graduates that our institutions are turning out.”
Mr. Wilkin added that it is imperative that the council and local businesses work together because the programmes need to be geared toward the policies and norms already established in the business.
“One of the reasons why it is necessary is that we want to ensure that the policy that we are seeking to develop for TVET merges well with the existing policies not only for the private sector but also within government departments.”
The Principle TVET Officer explained that through the consultations the council was able to re-establish connections with some of their private sector partners who have shown their support for the initiative the Ministry of Education has taken.
The final draft policy is expected to be completed later this year.