THA vocational skills training resumes in March

Vocational skills training under the THA's Division of Community Development, Enterprise Development and Labour is scheduled to resume on March 8, said the secretary of the division, Marslyn Melville -Jack.

Melville-Jack said at Wednesday’s virtual post-Executive Council media briefing that like schools, the division was forced to end physical classes in March last year. The programme had over 1,700 registered participants.

She said: “Classes are scheduled to commence on March 8, 2021 and will continue until August of this year. This cycle will attract a maximum of 550 participants taken from our 2020 registration database. Each class will consist of no more than 25 participants. These participants were selected from registration data on a first-come first-served basis. All registered persons were contacted to date. Those registered students who could not be accommodated in the 2021 cycle will be facilitated in the 2022 cycle when we are hopeful that we can return to some measure of normalcy.”

She said while there were hopes of restarting earlier this year with an online and blended-learning approach, after discussions with the tutors a decision was taken to conduct classes online only for theoretical learning.

“The practical aspect of our courses will be delivered face to face at a later date.

“Twenty-two classes will be held virtually; courses will be offered in 17 skilled areas conducted from seven multipurpose facilities across Tobago which are internet ready. So, it means that the instructor will deliver the course from these centres to students online.”

The selected courses, she said, are digital photography, air conditioning and refrigeration, modern wine making, event decorating, make-up artistry, soap and candle making, food preparation, bread, cakes and pastries, natural jewellery, nail technology, floral arrangements, mixology, garment construction, handbag construction, fabric design, cake decorating, drapery and soft furnishings and entrepreneurship.

No new registrations will be accepted at this time.