A policy geared towards the development of a framework for Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVET), is soon to be officially introduced in Anguilla following a three-hour consultation on the draft document a week ago by the Ministry of Education and the TVET Council. The aim of the policy is to ensure that students are provided with the opportunity to acquire basic skills to pursue a full range of careers in the technical field.
Speaking at the consultation on the draft TVET Policy, at the Anguilla Community College on June 6, Mrs.Chanelle Petty Barrett, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, explained what the policy sought to achieve. “It is another step towards the establishment of a TVET framework for Anguilla which is one of the priorities for education development over the next three years,” she told the large gathering. “When we consider the developmental needs of Anguilla, in the short, medium and long term, we must recognise that our education system has to be sufficiently resourced, flexible, dynamic and innovative to produce citizens with the skills, attitudes and qualifications necessary to meet those needs.”
Mrs. Petty Barrett continued: “We must also recognise that there has to be coordination and collaboration within Government and between Government and the private sector, if Technical and Vocational Education and Training is to emerge as one of the pillars of nation-building. I must admit that I am personally excited about the opportunities that can, and will, open up for our peoplenot only in Anguilla, but wherever they may sojourn, if we get this right.” She stressed that the intention of the policy was to bring about a level of dignity, pride and self-respectfor Anguillians resulting from honest living and being self-sufficient.
The Permanent Secretary went on: “Unfortunately, we cannot yet boast that technical and vocational education is accepted as being of equal valuable and importance as the more traditional forms of education. This is probably because, in my view, our education system, like many others regionally and internationally, evolved from traditions of elitism and sometimes discrimination. It will take some time to change that mind-set, but we have to begin by demonstrating in tangible ways the equivalence of divergent educational pathways.”
She was grateful that with the coming into force of the Education Act, in December 2012, work in relation to TVET development could now be placed on a sound footing. “I am pleased to say that the TVET Council is now a legal entity and, in celebration, we will have an official installation for the Council when the new academic year commences,” she added. Mrs Petty Barrett was grateful to the Chairman and members of the Council for continuing to steer the course since the establishment of the shadow Council in 2009. She also thanked the Policy Development Team for putting the document together.
TVET Council Secretary and Coordinator, Ms Janet McKeag, said it was a relief to have a structure in place, such as a policy, in order to form strategies to be able to move forward. She explained that the policy was to make certain that all levels of education were geared in such a manner that whatever was done at the Comprehensive School, or the Community College, was to provide standards for measuring students.
Ms. McKeag said that among other matters the Council looked at training facilities; prepared a vision statement; worked on strategic goals; developed a qualification framework; and held a careers fair for forms two and three which was big success.
She stressed that there was a need to ensure that students involved in technical training were employable. “We want quality partnerships with industry and the college and we want them to be relevant. That is part of what we are looking at with the policy,” she added.
Dr. Leroy Hill and Dr.Delroy Louden spoke on behalf of the Community College and its plans for the future regarding the TVET programme. Dr Hill said the college was delighted to be part of the development of the TVET Policy which had been neglected for some time. “We are embracing the whole idea of technical and vocational education for the future,” he said in speaking about the various stages of the establishment of the college over the past few years.
Professor Louden emphasised that technical and vocational skills were very important, but regretted that when compared with the various academic professions in the region, career skills often appeared to have been historically relegated. He spoke about plans to introduce a number of technical courses, the need for funding and the intention of the college to accommodate all students interested in furthering their studies, as far as possible, and without denying opportunities to anyone desirous of doing so.
An overview of the TVET Policy was presented by Mrs. Dawn Reid, Education Services Planner. The document comprises four sections. Section one provides the context; section two gives the Mission and Vision Statements, the purpose of the policy and the target audience; and section three presents fourteen policy statements. For each statement, there are specific objectives and explanatory notes. Section four provides guidelines for the implementation and monitoring of the policy. The TVET Policy will be reviewed every three years.
