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The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Vocational education and training systems, what works and why’ and the program was structured around four topics: VET systems; VET in developing countries; VET and economic and social development; and VET and special needs groups. This paper was part of the second topic. A 1993 UNESCO survey identified shortcomings relating to access, equity, quality and relevance in the Jamaican secondary education system. The Jamaican Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture also conducted a review of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in secondary schools at the upper secondary level (Grades 10-11), confirming these shortcomings. The Ministry response was to establish a partnership with the HEART [Human Employment and Resource Training] Trust/NTA [National Training Agency] to implement a pilot tech/voc rationalisation project in all existing high schools in Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth. The focus of this paper is on this project which is currently underway. The paper documents the background to the reform, the project objectives, the process and the evaluation. The developmental objective is to provide world class tech/voc training laboratories and instruction (Centres of Excellence) in Jamaican secondary schools so that the workforce can compete globally. The immediate objectives are: to provide secondary school students with relevant marketable skills; to establish sets of rationalisation and operational principles which will make the pilot project transparent, non-threatening, and predictable; to establish well-equipped training laboratories, with maintenance practices to meet established standards; and to rationalise the wide variety of tech/voc offerings in each school to a manageable number, within a prescribed geographic cluster of schools.

Excerpt from published abstract with additional information reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The main entry for the IVETA 2001 conference is indexed at TD/TNC 68.302. Individual papers presented at the conference are listed by topic from TD/TNC 68.303 to TD/TNC 68.306. Selected papers (including keynote speeches) are indexed from TD/TNC 68.307 to TD/TNC 68.384. Show less