ROSE HALL, St James — Up to August of this year approximately 63,000 Jamaicans were enrolled in training programmes offered by the HEART/NSTA Trust, accounting for a big chunk of its goal for 2025.

“We’re not sitting at HEART idle, okay; we are in October and we have already done six out of 10 of the target that we intend to reach, and that is the kind of staff that we have here,” declared Managing Director Dr Taneisha Ingleton.

She was speaking during Wednesday’s opening ceremony for the WorldSkills Jamaica National Skills Competition, currently underway at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James.

Ingleton noted that one in every three HEART enrollees, which is more than 16,000 individuals, is being trained in emerging fields such as information and communications technology (ICT), logistics, construction, manufacturing and agriculture.

“These are the areas where the talent is needed to fuel Jamaican industries,” she explained.

“These are the very industries on display here today and so we’re not out of mandate, we are not out of alignment. What we are doing here today is specific and direct to where Jamaica needs to be, what industry has been telling us that it needs, and the talent that we need to work on to place in those various areas,” Ingleton added.

She also highlighted the trust’s efforts to certify Jamaicans who meet national qualification standards.

“Since April 1, 2025 the HEART/NSTA Trust has awarded 14,000 certifications, and what does this do? It opens doors to jobs, to careers and to entrepreneurship,” she stressed.

More than 3,600 young people have already been placed in jobs. Of that number, more than 3,000 secured employment through the HOPE Programme, the Youth Summer Work Programme, and other initiatives. Additionally, nearly 12,000 adults have had their skills formally recognised through the Prior Learning Assessment, helping them convert experience into opportunity.

According to Ingleton, the three-day-long WorldSkills Jamaica Competition is a direct extension of HEART/NSTA Trust’s mission to meet both local and global workforce needs by strengthening technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

She said approximately 120 competitors from primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions will showcase their skills across 20 areas including agriculture, apparel, automotive technology, building construction, and information technology.

“It raises the quality and global competitiveness of TVET, it expands opportunities for underserved youth, and it strengthens the TVET ecosystem,” Ingleton explained.

She emphasised the inclusive and transformative nature of the competition, which draws participants and support from schools, universities, employers, training agencies, professional bodies, and development partners.

“Through this competition Jamaica is linked directly to World Skills International, setting benchmarks against more than 90 countries worldwide,” added the managing director.

She also pointed to the positive impact the competition is having, particularly on male participants.

“All of these young men, with the talent that is embedded within them, could have been using those talents otherwise. But we have created a platform for them to understand their purpose, to serve their country and to make their lives better and transform a generation,” she said.

“By showcasing real career opportunities and telling success stories, the competition transforms lives, it strengthens communities and it inspires families,” Ingleton added.