St. Kitts and Nevis commended for innovative approach to TVET

SKNIS Photo: Dr. Linda Cooke, Regional Coordinator and Senior Technical Advisor

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 17, 2013 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis was publicly commended at the Opening of the CARIOM Education for Employment Programme (C-EFE) Results Based Management Workshop which commenced January 16, 2013 at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.

Dr. Linda Cooke, Regional Coordinator and Senior Technical Advisor noted that in the C-EFE workshops, prior to the current one, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) team out of St. Kitts and Nevis had made significant contributions.

“We’ve been very happy to be able to support the participation of the TVET Council members in CANTA [Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies] meetings,” Dr. Cooke stated. “And St. Kitts [and Nevis] has taken a very innovative approach to some of the other workshops that we’ve hosted in different parts of the region, by sending members of the TVET Council drawn from their industry partners so that they will understand the work that the TVET Unit is starting to implement as they work toward building a national training agency. So we’ve had representatives for occupational standards, learning assessment recognition and they’ve brought a very important perspective to the activities we’ve engaged in. I’d like to commend you for that vision in sending those representatives.”

SKNIS Photo: Minister of Education Honourable Nigel Carty

Minister responsible for Education Honourable Nigel Carty emphasized the importance of technical and vocational careers even during the current economic downturn and the necessity to report and assess one’s progress.

“I just want to say that during the past decade against the backdrop of growing financial constraints in tough global debate on the efficacy of aid and not just aid but budgetary resources- there has been considerable external pressure for development corporation agencies to reorient their management systems towards effectiveness and results,”Minister Carty emphasized. “Thus the resulting management systems have been introduced in most developing countries -government sectors in particular – with ongoing implementation in most developing countries. And as donor contributions shrink and our own resources here at home shrink, we can see increasing demand to better demonstrate results and this is true in the public and private sectors – this is true everywhere because resources are always limited.”

Minister Carty went on to note that the six major benefits of focusing on results are: better implementation, better communication with all shareholders, stronger capacity development, more realistic project schedules, useful evaluation results as well as reducing opportunities and pressures for corruption within organizations.

The CARICOM Results Based Management Workshop concluded on January 17, 2013.