By Fay Simmons
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) has partnered with Disney Cruise Line to construct a new campus in Eleuthera for the training of its residents.
Joey Gaskins, Disney’s regional public affairs director for The Bahamas and Caribbean, told the Eleuthera Business Outlook conference that the cruise line had partnered with BTVI’s interim president, Dr Linda Davis, and her team in a bid to ensure Eleuthera residents are equipped with the skills necessary to participate in its Lighthouse Point development and other investment projects in the pipeline for the island.
“In February of this year, Dr Linda and her team from BTVI, and a few ministers, found a site in Greencastle and they want to bring access to vocational and technical education to the people of Eleuthera,” he added. “We’re heard about the billions of dollars of investment in Eleuthera, [but] are Eleutherans trained to able to take advantage of those investments? That’s the question that Dr Linda asked us.
“[We] worked internally to secure the necessary funding to ensure that we could move this project forward by refurbishing the building at Greencastle, so that we can house BTVI. And so I want to announce that to the people of Eleuthera, let them know that BTVI is coming with the support of Disney Cruise Line. And we are so happy to support this work.”
Dr Davis, speaking at the same conference, called for more public-private-partnerships (PPPs) to solve the skilled labour shortage and expand BTVI’s reach in The Bahamas. She said: “Eleuthera is clearly on the move and BTVI stands ready and excited to partner with each and every one of you here today to find new solutions to our skilled labour shortage.
“I would argue that it is at this juncture where need meets TVET, technical and vocational education and training, through BTVI. And BTVI’s mandate and our mission makes it very clear to provide applied education that transforms lives and communities, and enables individuals to be globally competitive and economically independent.”
She added: “Eleuthera has an incredible opportunity here at its disposal, and BTVI is ready to partner. It is a vision that is recognised in terms of innovation, in terms of spirit, in terms of what we need to be doing on the ground here. We think it is that as a partnership that we will make that difference. BTVI and our partners, we believe that the expansion of the BTVI footprint is critical to addressing the technical skills gap throughout the country.”
Dr Davis argued that about 75 percent of school-leaving students directly enter the workforce or a trade upon exitng high school. As a result, she said collaboration between BTVI and industry is pivotal to ensuring a skilled workforce.
She added: “The fact of the matter is that, at BTVI, we recognise that that fundamental to any nation’s economy are the skill sets of its people and the production which comes from them. However, our partnerships with the private sector through a PPP are critical.
“About 75 percent of our high school leavers don’t go to university. They’re going into the workforce or they are going into a trade. That’s a fact. We’ve got to find a way to harness that to our advantage. Because the reality is we have an opportunity here in Eleuthera. There should be nobody in Eleuthera who is wanting a job. We have got to align that need now with the credibility and currency that we know that we can get by partnering with the industry.
“Industry tells us what we do in our training. We don’t do anything unless we involve industry. Industry tells us that what we are doing by way of the preparation of our students, who are coming from BTVI, is consistent with what they need. And so we find an opportunity to get them out into apprentice-type or attachment-type arrangements.”
Dr Davis also outlined programmes that students can take advantage of to earn BTVI credits, and again called for private firms to assist the Institute with its future ventures.
She said: “We find a way of getting our high school students involved is through what we call a ‘smart start’ apprentice opportunity. These are students who dropped out because of COVID because they were simply disengaged, have a second chance, an opportunity to get come back to BTVI and to earn a trade; to earn a way to earn a living.
“We have an opportunity for those students who are still in high school to do BTVI credits, so that when they finish high school they have a jump start. We are serious about what we’re doing at BTVI, and we are consistent with what our global context is saying to us.
“They’re talking about developing skills for individuals to learn, work and live. They’re talking about developing skills for inclusive and sustainable economies. We’re talking about developing skills for elusive and peaceful societies. But we need to do that with you; we cannot do that alone. There’s no way that we can do that alone. Governments cannot do it alone but, in partnership, we can do it together.”
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