CANADA is working with the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to ensure that the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) is built on internationally benchmarked standards and will gain global recognition similar to that country’s Red Seal certification.

According to Robert Ready, High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica, this is a critical step in ensuring that Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates in the region can secure employment. He implores countries in the region to recognise that developing a skilled workforce will help sustain economic growth by attracting foreign investors. Furthermore, by reducing the need for investors to import foreign workers, countries are also able to retain their educated young people and increase their tax base.

Speaking at the Second International Conference on TVET in the Caribbean held recently in Montego Bay, Ready suggested that in the context of the global economy, TVET authorities and training institutions can no longer focus on preparing solely a local workforce. Therefore, preparing TVET graduates to meet international standards is essential if they are to be competitive in the workplace at home, across Caricom and abroad, he noted.

Through its CDN$20 million Caricom-Education for Employment (C-EFE) programme, Canada has facilitated the establishment of partnerships between 16 of its colleges and counterpart TVET institutions in Caricom member states. The participating institutions include the National Tool and Engineering Institute in Jamaica, which has partnered with St Lawrence College in Canada to develop a curriculum focused on renewable energy. In addition, Excelsior Community College has teamed with Canadian-based Niagara College and Marine Institute to develop a curriculum in the area of logistics.

Together, these institutions, along with the Canadian private sector, have been renewing or developing new programmes to align with the CVQ standards and to meet the needs of employers. These new curricula are being shared with the region for use by institutions in all Caricom member states.

The C-EFE, a seven-year programme, currently in its fourth year of implementation, facilitates the sharing of best practices by engaging industry stakeholders in programme development, developing curricula collaboratively, and jointly delivering applied skills training.

As a result, C-EFE graduates are well positioned to contribute to the growth of their national economies as entrepreneurs or employees, the Canadian High Commissioner said. He added that with a CVQ, along with a diploma or certificate from their home institution, these graduates will be prepared to move across the region and the world.

C-EFE is implemented by Colleges and Institutes Canada. The lead regional partners are the Caricom Secretariat, the Caribbean Association of National Training Authorities, and the Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions.