KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Come June 2017, all high school students will be required to sit a technical or vocational subject in their exit examinations.

Those subjects will be done in conjunction with four others, including mathematics and English language.

Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr Grace McLean, made the disclosure at the graduation ceremony for Career Advancement Programme (CAP) students at the Institute of International Recognised Qualifications (IIRQ) in Kingston.

She noted that the objective is to prepare high school leavers for the world of work. She noted that industry is seeking more skilled workers in areas such as information and communication technology (ICT), including animation, gaming, and web design, among others.

“The Government believes that education harnesses the creative and intellectual prowess of the Jamaican people and is the way forward in getting the nation to compete effectively in a modern, globalised economy,” she said.

Nearly 190 learners graduated during the ceremony held at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge, St Andrew, on July 7.

They were equipped with skills in areas such as construction, engineering, food preparation, culinary arts, and business and will be certified by the London-based City and Guilds.

Dr McLean commended the graduates and urged them to remain focused and be agents of change wherever they go.

Principal of IIRQ, Professor Gossett Oliver, in his 2015/2016 report on the institution, said the level-three engineering students performed well during the 2016 examination period, with the Papine campus students receiving 100 per cent passes in Engineering Health and 90 per cent in Engineering Principles.

He noted that 50 per cent of students have found employment.

Valedictorians Brittany Williams and Michael Russell said IIRQ provided a nourishing learning environment, which facilitated the students’ holistic development.

CAP provides additional educational and vocational training opportunities for secondary students, ages 16 to 18.

It aims to ensure that students leaving high school are literate and numerate, and have some form of qualification for post-secondary placement.

IIRQ offers approved courses based on the City and Guilds syllabus.