St. George’s, March 18, 2011 (GIS) – A Grenada government minister is supportive of local and regional efforts at expanding the education of young people to include more technical and vocational subjects.
Hon. Glynis Roberts – Minister of Labour, Social Security and Ecclesiastical Affairs – expressed her support while delivering remarks at the opening of a two-day meeting in St. George’s of the Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies (CANTA).
She told regional delegates, as well as representatives of Grenada’s National Training Agency (NTA), that the importance of training cannot be overemphasized.
“It is often said that that our human resources are our most important resource. Our development as individual countries and the region, as a whole, is significantly dependent on the skills and abilities of our people,’’ Minister Roberts said.
The mandate of the NTA includes vocational training, as well as certification of those of those involved in technical and skills’ trades.
In addition, the Grenada Ministry of Education has embarked on what it calls a “refocusing’’ of schools’ curricula to give greater attention to subjects in areas such as arts, craft, sports, tourism education and technical and vocational training.
“We welcome the shift in the education paradigm which, over the years, focused heavily on academics and ignored vocational training,’’ the Labour Minister said. “This resulted in a scarcity of technical skills among our people.’’
Mrs. Roberts said that in the aftermath of the destruction to homes and other buildings by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Grenada experienced “severe shortages in carpentry, plumbing, masonry and other technical areas, and had to depend on importing those skills from other islands.’’
The minister said the paradigm shift means “young people will now have the choice of following the pure academic lines or choosing a particular skill, knowing fully well that the skill can now be certified.’’
She described CANTA as a clear demonstration of the importance that Caribbean governments are placing on the education and training of their people.
Grenada and the entire region could certainly benefit from “vocational” training that is contextual for the local economy. There is much that could be learned from the resurgence in what is now being called “Career and Technical Education” programs currently underway in California. The state framework and standards are available online at the California Dept. of Education’s website. After several years of research and collaboration with teachers and business owners from across the state, 15 industry sectors have been identified with corresponding learning outcomes and standards.
I commend Ms. Roberts for recognizing & championing the value in creating diverse educational tracks that students can follow. When Grenada & other regional countries can successfully create educational systems where those with an interest in a trade can receive the proper training & certifications, they will also increase the potential for strong interest in entrepreneurship. The more small businesses that are formed to provide necessary goods & services, the quicker we will address the crisis of high unemployment. Additionally, the treasury will benefit from increased sales and income tax revenues triggered by the formation & success of new “home-grown” businesses.
However, it is critical that the leaders be prepared to go beyond just lip service. First, the school curricula must be properly modified so that students will gain early knowledge to help them identify their strengths. Then, teachers & administrators must be properly trained to accurately recognize the students with strong potential for success in the non-academic areas. Additionally, government, banks & other established businesses should be prepared to assist through building & properly staffing the institutions, providing funding through scholarships & grants; and, very importantly, creating a business-friendly environment where qualified individuals will be motivated to take on the risks associated with starting new businesses.