THA Chief Sec: Give vocational training same priority as academics

THA CHIEF Secretary Farley Augustine believes vocational education should be given the same priority as academic subjects in the education system.

He made the statement on September 10 while addressing the opening of the National Training Agency (NTA) and Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago’s (ACTT’s) Tobago office at D’Collosseum, Crown Point, Tobago.

Augustine, who was a teacher at Speyside High School before entering politics, said, “As a former educator in the secondary school system, I feel strongly that as a society we have to prioritise vocational education.

“In fact, I believe there ought to be a parallel system with parallel importance between traditional academics and vocational education. And the vehicle to achieve that is through the NTA, which will allow us to create a much more innovative society.”

He said in Tobago, there is urgent need for workers with certain technical skills.

“We do see and experience quite often the gaps when it comes to highly qualified technical workers in the space, and through the work of the NTA we are able to bring our population up to the mark.”

Augustine told the audience he especially liked the NTA’s programme, which seeks to certify skilled workers who, for one reason or another, did not go through the formal system to achieve their skills.