In a bid to tackle Jamaica’s long-standing productivity constraints, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is pushing for a fundamental shift in how the country builds skills, positioning the workplace as the new classroom while signalling that HEART/NSTA Trust must evolve to meet the immediate demands of a transforming economy.

Making his contribution to the 2026/27 Budget Debate on Thursday, Holness pointed to persistent bottlenecks that continue to slow the conversion of public investment into tangible economic outcomes, warning that inefficiencies across systems and capacity gaps in the labour force are limiting the country’s growth potential.

“The cross-cutting issues of slow investment appraisal, permitting and approvals, procurement, and contracting, coupled with a lack of efficient, well-resourced, enterprise scale contractors is the cause of the low conversion of the capital budget into economic value leading to greater levels of growth,” said Holness.

While these challenges span bureaucracy and administrative systems, the prime minister made it clear that a critical part of the problem lies in the country’s skills pipeline, particularly the shortage of workers equipped to operate in high-demand sectors such as construction, infrastructure, logistics, and digital development.

That reality, he indicated, is now driving a major reorientation of the training ecosystem, with HEART/NSTA expected to move beyond traditional classroom-based delivery and align more closely with industry demand and national development priorities.

Holness framed the transformation of the national training agency as a central pillar of the Government’s broader productivity strategy, aimed at creating a workforce that is not only certified, but immediately deployable and capable of contributing to economic activity from the outset.

Under the emerging model, Holness noted that greater emphasis will be placed on workplace-based learning, allowing trainees to gain hands-on experience on active job sites, rather than relying primarily on theoretical instruction. Training programmes are also being realigned to reflect demand in key growth sectors, while shorter, targeted certification pathways are intended to rapidly address critical skills shortages.

He said the approach will effectively turn the workplace into a training ground, enabling individuals to build competence while simultaneously contributing to ongoing projects. It also signals deeper collaboration between HEART/NSTA and private sector employers, who are expected to play a more direct role in shaping training outcomes and standards.

Holness argued that expanding the pool of skilled workers through practical, on-the-job training is essential to overcoming the execution challenges that have long slowed the pace of development.

To facilitate this shift Holness outlined a transformation anchored in programmes such as the Tertiary Learn Earn & Prosper (LEAP) programme and a reimagined apprenticeship system, which he said are designed to allow Jamaicans to earn while they learn and gain practical, job-ready skills.

“Starting in the upcoming financial year, the HEART/NSTA Trust will introduce a pilot of the Tertiary Learn Earn & Prosper (LEAP) Programme to widen pathways from tertiary education to employment by providing paid on-the-job experience. Students of accredited tertiary institutions as participants of the Tertiary LEAP Programme will be able to engage in meaningful work in the public sector and participating private companies. As they work, they will receive a competitive part-time compensation package. LEAP is an opportunity for students to continue learning while HEART places them in employment of their choice so they can assimilate into the workplace, earn an income, and garner valuable experience,” he explained.

The prime minister also pointed to the expansion of the Community Action for Rewarding Engagement (CARE) Programme as another critical component of the broader skills and productivity push, describing it as a pathway to quickly equip Jamaicans with the competencies needed to participate in the reconstruction and growth agenda.

He indicated that the CARE Programme is being repositioned to support more targeted, demand-driven training, particularly in areas where labour shortages are most acute, including construction, infrastructure works, and other technical fields emerging from the post-Hurricane Melissa rebuilding effort.

Within this framework, Holness said the programme is expected to place greater emphasis on short-cycle training and rapid certification, enabling participants to transition more quickly into employment while responding to immediate labour market needs.

The expansion of such programmes, he noted, reflects a broader shift in policy — one that prioritises speed, relevance, and direct economic impact — as the Government moves to close the gap between training and employment while strengthening Jamaica’s overall productivity.

The shift comes as the Government rolls out initiatives such as the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) and FAST (Facilitated Acceleration of Strategic Transformation) Jamaica, both designed to improve coordination, reduce delays, and unlock economic growth.

However, Holness made it clear that even the most sophisticated policy frameworks will fall short without a workforce capable of delivering projects at the required speed and scale, reinforcing the link between skills development and national productivity.

The urgency of reform has been sharpened by the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which triggered a surge in demand for skilled labour to support reconstruction efforts across affected communities. With thousands of homes damaged and major infrastructure works underway, long-standing capacity gaps have become more visible, placing increased pressure on the training system to respond quickly and effectively.

Within this context, Holness announced that HEART/NSTA’s role is expanding beyond that of a traditional training provider to that of a key enabler of national development, responsible for producing a labour force that can meet real-time economic needs.

He suggested that without a more responsive and industry-driven training system, Jamaica risks continuing to face delays in project execution and missing out on investment opportunities in an increasingly competitive global environment.

However, he argued there is need to build a more agile and productive workforce that is aligned with the needs of the economy, capable of adapting to changing industry demands, and equipped to support Jamaica’s transition from post-disaster recovery to sustained economic expansion.