The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of TVET in CARICOM Member States

The capacity of technical and vocational education instructors to design, deliver, and assess student learning during the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic is critical to maintaining continuity of skills development. The objective of the ILO survey on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) was to understand the extent of the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the delivery of TVET programs in Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States. The survey has revealed the weak resilience of the vocational training systems to maintain continuity of delivery of instruction, assessment and instructor professional development in 11 CARICOM Member States (Montserrat, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago).

A survey of National Training Agencies (NTAs)/TVET Councils indicated that 53 per cent of the respondents do not use any form of ICT for delivery of instruction at a distance, while 47 per cent of the respondents indicated moderate use of ICT for delivery of instruction via distance learning. Among the major issues inhibiting the use of ICT for design and delivery of instruction, and assessment of student learning at a distance during the pandemic was the lack of, or limited knowledge and use of the Learning Management System (LMS); a critical factor in facilitating the adoption of ICT for distance learning. Similarly, vocational training institutions that use ICT for distance learning provide limited or no training to their instructors on the use of the technologies and e-learning resources.

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