St George Secondary School has unveiled plans to pilot a continuing education initiative aimed at bridging the gap between academic education and vocational training.
Principal Dennis Browne presented the detailed plan for a two-year technical and vocational sixth form programme at the school’s speech day and prize-giving ceremony on Friday.
He said: “We also intend to include an after-school adult continuing education programme, which will not only offer opportunities for academic certification at CAPE and CSEC level but also include CVQ and technical and vocational skills. I think today there is no continuing education programme that offers technical and vocational skills. We intend to be the first to do so outside of the polytechnic and skills training.”
Browne noted that the programme would complement existing institutions, citing sixth forms at Springer Memorial, Christ Church Foundation and Queen’s College.
Currently, sixth forms in Barbados remain focused on purely academic studies.
“Our sixth form programme is going to be a technical and vocational programme,” Browne said. “It’s going to follow a similar programme such as a two-year programme where students will in the first year be trained at Level 1 and the second year at Level 2. In addition to each level, students will be asked to complete a set of compulsory courses – computation, communication, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship.
“This programme, we hope, will be in partnership with the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme, who will guide us and hold sessions with students. The students will also be given opportunities for internships.”
Highlighting the practical focus of the initiative, Browne explained that graduates would have access to workstations on the school grounds. “At the end of this programme, we are not throwing the graduates out to go and look for a job. We have a plot of land, and we intend to utilise three prefabs, dividing them into four workstations each, and provide each graduate with their own shop. They will begin their trade, with the support of teachers and the school. We are teaching them to be their own employer, to be an entrepreneur.”
Browne emphasised that the pilot programme would not compete with academic sixth forms, but would provide an alternative pathway for students who would otherwise be excluded due to capacity limitations at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI) or Skills Training Centres.
“[SJPI] can only take 2 500, but 6 000 are waiting. Skills Training can only take X amount, where are the others going? They are on the street. This programme provides those young people with the opportunity to be in school and learn a skill, and not be out on the road,” he said.
He made an appeal directly to the Minister of Educational Transformation, who attended the ceremony: “Sir, work the magic. I can’t really see anybody saying no to this. I would really find difficulty in seeing someone say no to this. So, sir, I’m going to give this (the proposal) to you.” (SZB)
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