Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 21, 2014 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Education is continuing to pay close attention to instilling technical skills in young people through its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Programmes in order to propel the nation forward.
Minister of Education Hon. Nigel Carty stated at a Cabinet Press Conference on Wednesday (February 19) that St. Kitts and Nevis has a very proud track record of leading in education in the entire region and will continue to strive for excellence.
“Education is critically important in St. Kitts and Nevis because as a small developing country, with a very small population [and] very few natural resources, it is really the human capacity that is going to drive our economy and our development,” stated Minister Carty.
On that note the Minister revealed that a TVET Strategic Plan has been developed that will improve the quality of education. He added that a TVET council has also been put in place which will interact with private sector, government and other agencies to ensure that there are relevant courses of instruction for the technical areas. Those areas include home economics, technical drawing, woodwork and metalwork.
In order to accommodate the learning of technical skills, the Minister pointed out that over the last year classrooms have been refurbished and upgraded in a number of institutions which are seen as being central to the delivery of TVET education.
“We can speak for example of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC), the Advance Vocational Education Centre (AVEC) and our High School Centres our woodwork shops, metalwork shops have all been upgraded, renovated and have all been equipped with modern facilities and tools,” the Minister disclosed.
He explained that the enhancements are important because the young people who are being taught today must be able to go out into the world of work feeling proud of what they have accomplished and feeling a sense of empowerment that they were not only able to gain employment but are also able to create employment for themselves and other members of the wider community.
“We expect to see in the not too distant future a better trained, better skilled workforce, [who are] able to deliver the range of services in air-condition repair, automotive repair [and other areas] that we depend on to improve and maintain our quality of life.”
Government has invested approximately EC $15 million to upgrade schools in St. Kitts.
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