Policy Review set in motion for TVET

Fitzroy Wilkin

Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 13, 2013 (SKNIS): The process of revamping the national policy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has been set in motion with the visitation of three UNESCO representatives who will help review, draft and finalise the national policy for TVET.

Principal TVET Officer Fitzroy Wilkin explained that St. Kitts and Nevis has been operating without a set policy for a number of years and has thus sought the assistance of UNESCO, who has the technical expertise they need to help them carry out this exercise.

During the two-week stint, the representatives from UNESCO will visit stakeholders from private and public sectors, teachers, students and heads of schools in both St. Kitts and Nevis. A number of organizations such as the Contractors Association and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce will also be visited to get their views on the policy and provide input they deem necessary for its development.

Included on the list of visitations are departments such as Social and Community Development, Gender Affairs, Special Education Unit which are areas that will be reflected in the policy.

“We are saying that our TVET policy is ‘TVET for all,'” said Mr. Wilkin as he stressed the inclusive focus to be added. “There must be a component in our policy that speaks to how we are going to deal with persons with disabilities, how we are going to ensure gender equity in training and how we are going to ensure that we have proper progression from one programme to the other and how we are going to manage TVET at all levels of education and training in St. Kitts and Nevis.”

Workshops will also be underway for the training of the St. Kitts and Nevis TVET Council members in reviewing policies.

Mr. Wilkin noted that the policy will provide a number of guidelines in the managing and delivering TVET.

“We see the need for the policy because as we begin to look at the development of TVET and enhancing TVET we need to ensure that we have the necessary policies to guide operations.”

The activities began yesterday with courtesy calls on the Minister of Education the Honourable Nigel Carty, Secretary General for UNESCO Antonio Maynard and other ministry officials in both St. Kitts and Nevis.