The Tribune

By DR ROBERT ROBERTSON

Immediate past president BTVI

I write to provide important information in reference to a story on October 20, 2022, related to the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI).

The context of the report includes the fact that BTVI has had three chief financial officers in six years. Also, for 50 percent of that period, the post was vacant. This is a serious structural issue requiring resolution by conducting a proper search and engagement of a professional to step into this role. A chartered accountant was engaged in fiscal 2020 to correct many of the financial issues in the Institute.

The period under review, as outlined in the October 20 article, includes fiscal 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. Reference is also made to the draft audit report of 2016. It is important to note that many deficiencies identified in the review and October 20 story relate to the periods prior to fiscal 2020, and have since been resolved. Moreover, the much more egregious systemic deficiencies leading to a “denial of opinion” by the independent auditors in 2016 have been addressed prospectively since fiscal 2019. For example, accepting cash, particularly on the Family Islands, was discontinued and employees were disciplined for improper acceptance of funds. Similarly, only one credit card has historically been used for Family Island purposes. Policies were put in place with respect to that card.

In addition, it is important to note that BTVI saw substantial growth during the past six years, reaching record numbers of students. To accomplish this growth, BTVI focused on the development of new courses and programmes, dual enrollment options with high schools and online education. In addition, there was a clear focus on industry certifications which the Ministry of Education recognised for scholarship purposes. These types of industry-recognised certifications and training support students to be prepared for the future of work, and they are required in the country - and globally. In fact, the Institute won industry awards for best practice throughout this period.

Also, new training contracts were awarded to BTVI through competitive bid processes. These awards were based on the quality of programmes and the credentials of faculty members. For example, some of the new external programmes initiated as authorised by the Board include a prison programme training incarcerated individuals; a dual enrollment ICT programme; a soft skills programme; developing and delivering online courses and others.

In many cases, BTVI instructors were assigned to teach these contract courses in addition to their regular contracted teaching load. As a result overload payments were made to individuals with the requisite experience as well as the necessary professional and technical certifications. This is a common practice in academia. It was specified in the contracts of service for the programmes, and it is essentially overtime required by law.

These new programmes provided valuable training and skills for literally thousands of Bahamians, as well as generating a net positive financial impact for BTVI. For example, in information technology student enrollments grew from approximately 300 to 1,500 students. BTVI earned the designation as a Cisco Academy, enabling Bahamians to gain opportunities to earn world-class certifications. Last year thousands of industry-recognised IT certifications were issued. Also, in the construction trades there are now more than 130 Bahamian instructors who are certified as being able to teach the National Centre for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) programme. This programme has been included in the prison training and is available nationally. There are more than 1,200 students who have completed some level of training trades certification through the NCCER, which is a globally-recognised credential. As construction projects are advanced in the country, this certification is critical to provide employment opportunities.

Finally, the Institute has moved to a far more sustainable financial position in recent years. It is important to note that there have been many financial practice improvements that were identified and completed during the last few years. In fact, the anticipated 2021-2022 year-end projection included a record budget surplus for the first time in the history of BTVI. These funds will assist in the reconstruction of the hurricane-damaged Freeport and Abaco campus locations, as well as implementing a system to address historical structural compensation issues in the organisation. The improvements of the past two years will also put the organisation in a position to conduct an annual audit. I would like to recognise and thank the entire team at BTVI, notably the accounting and academic teams for their outstanding efforts.