Sudents get a taste of tech, vocational training

Students of the Success Laventille Secondary School and Princes Town East Secondary School got a Taste of TVET (Technical and Vocational Education Training) pilot programme as part of the Ministry of Education's (MOE) Turn Up, Don’t Give Up Career Fair on March, 8 and 15. The Taste of TVET project is designed for students in forms one to three at the 26 schools of focus and is one of the multi-tiered initiatives under the Remedial Education Programme.

TVET Revitalisation is one of the eight identified strategic goals of the Ministry’s Education Policy 2023-2027. As such, the one day sessions introduced students, at a much earlier stage in their secondary school education, to educational streams in technical vocations subjects. With the completion of this cycle of the project in all 26 schools of focus, almost 8000 students would have had a direct hands-on introduction to eight TVET subjects.

Taste of TVET is an extension of last year’s Turn Up, Don’t Give Up Caravan pilot that supported the Vacation Revision Programme (VRP) for students. This caravan is now formally placed under the Remedial Education Programme 2022 to 2027, which involves the implementation of a revised operational plan in selected secondary schools to increase student achievement.

At the Princes Town East Secondary School, students were exposed to and participated in simulations in air condition and refrigeration, beauty therapy, building electrical, cake decorating, carpentry, information technology communication (Infused in TVET), patient care, plumbing and welding. Students also received sensitisation sessions about the programmes offered and career paths that they lead to from representatives of YTEPP and MIC-IT. These simulation sessions were facilitated by teachers and in programme trainees of the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme (YTEPP), MIC Institute of Technology (MIC-IT), National Energy Skills Center (NESC) and Restore a Sense of I-Can (RSC).

Taste of TVET will continue in term three of the 2022/2023 academic year in five schools. The ministry encourages all parents to allow their children to opportunity to participate in the Taste of TVET Career Fair as the programme is rolled out in the remaining 24 schools.