The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

STUDENTS who completed a virtual course with the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute one year ago claim they are still awaiting their exam results and licences from the Ministry of Works.

Grand Bahama resident Lowell Pinder and New Providence residents Ishmael Kelly and James Newbold are frustrated over the long delay, which has impacted their livelihoods.

In February/March 2021, the men enrolled in the journeyman course through the professional development programme at BTVI.

They paid $1,000, and upon successfully passing the exam, it was expected that the Ministry of Works would issue them a licence.

However, none of the men have received word about their exam results. They also claimed that efforts were unsuccessful in reaching anyone at BTVI and the ministry regarding their concerns.

“I have been trying for months and months to reach them to find out what is going on and got no reply from BTVI and the Ministry of Works - you can’t even make contact with them,” Mr Pinder told The Tribune on Thursday.

According to Mr Pinder, he was among the 12 students – eight from New Providence and four from the Family Islands— enrolled in the online course facilitated by an instructor at BTVI. The exam was taken in March 2021.

When he contacted the instructor, Mr Pinder said he was told the results had already been forwarded about four to five months prior to the Ministry of Works.

“From August last year, the Ministry of Works had the results, and I have been trying to reach persons there to get my exam results,” he said.

Mr Pinder has been in the plumbing field for 35 years and decided to start his own company after his deceased parents’ business went into probate. He is required to have a licence from the Ministry of Works to obtain a business licence from the Grand Bahama Port Authority.

“I was compelled to get my own licence so I could open my own business, so I went and took the class, hoping and thinking the results would not take this long,” he explained.

He is frustrated over the long delay and has missed out on opportunities for work projects in Freeport.

“I lost several contracts; the last was a $21,000 contract for the installation of a pressure boosting system at the airport terminal. I am losing lots of jobs every day like that, and it is frustrating,” he said.

Mr Kelly has also received no feedback from anyone at BTVI or the ministry.

He said that the course at BTVI was offered online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He decided to enrol in the course for job advancement.

“We took the exam with the expectation that we would get our results on time, but we are still waiting after one year,” Mr Kelly complained. “It seems like an empty promise because I had never received anything from BTVI to say that we took this class, and we are still waiting on the Ministry of Works to say if we passed or failed the exam.”

Mr Kelly is employed at the Water and Sewerage Corporation and felt that having a Ministry of Works licence would provide the chance to advance on the job.

“I have a family, and it is a fight out here, and so that is why I was trying to elevate myself,” he said.

Mr Newbold contacted BTVI and the ministry yesterday morning, but he also received no satisfaction.

“I was trying to get through to the Ministry of Works, and then I called BTVI, and was told to go back and check to see if I passed the test. It’s been over one year,” he said.

Mr Newbold said that he has been doing odd jobs here and there.

“I need my certification. I paid them $1,000, and not getting any feedback is frustrating,” he said. “Two weeks ago, I reached a woman at the Ministry of Works, and I thought she was going to look into it, but I have not heard anything since,” he said.

In a statement released in response to inquiries from The Tribune, BTVI said while it provides the theory component for the course in question, the assessment required to issue the licence lies with the Ministry of Works. It acknowledged that some students who completed the plumbing course are upset because they have not yet been told if they completed the requirements to be licensed, which the school said may have occurred because of the pandemic.

“Once BTVI has completed its training responsibility, it advances evidence of student completion to the (Ministry of Works) for its review and assessment to determine licensure,” the statement said.

“The institute has been advised that there are students enrolled in a recent journeyman plumbing course at BTVI who are dissatisfied that they have not yet received confirmation regarding whether they have successfully completed requirements for licensure. It is our understanding that delays may have been created because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This fact notwithstanding, BTVI has reached out to the (Ministry of Works) in our effort to hopefully assist in addressing this matter.”

When contacted for comment, a Ministry of Works representative said they would look into the matter.