The Tribune

THERE are Bahamians who have spent years learning a trade, solving problems and becoming the person colleagues turn to when something goes wrong.

Some have little on paper to show for it.

Others entered the workforce before completing their education and have never found a practical way back. Between working hours, children and household bills, further training can feel like something meant for people with more time and fewer responsibilities.

Both groups deserve a place in the conversation about improving the country’s skills.

The Tribune reported on October 19 that Labour and National Insurance Minister Pia Glover-Rolle told Parliament that 27 percent of the labour force has no formal qualifications, rising to 34 percent among men. She pointed to training, apprenticeships and certification as routes towards better employment.

Those figures demand attention. They should also be understood carefully.

Having no formal qualification does not necessarily mean having no skill. Equally, experience alone does not guarantee that someone meets the standards required for a particular occupation.

The task is to establish what people can do, identify what they still need to learn and give them a realistic route forward.

For an experienced worker, that could begin with a practical assessment. Someone who has spent years performing a job competently should have an opportunity to demonstrate that ability and receive credit towards a recognised qualification.

Where gaps exist, training should address them. There is little sense in making an experienced person start from the beginning if they can already demonstrate much of what a course teaches.

Standards must remain rigorous, particularly where public safety is involved. Recognition should be earned through credible assessment.

But the process should respect the learning that takes place outside a classroom.

For people who need more substantial training, accessibility will determine whether an opportunity is real. A course advertised during working hours may be impossible for someone who cannot afford to lose wages. Online learning offers flexibility, but it still requires internet access, suitable equipment and somewhere to study.

Evening classes, shorter courses that build towards a qualification, and practical assessments offered on the Family Islands would help more people participate. Some learners will also need support with reading, mathematics or digital skills.

That assistance should be offered without humiliation. Returning to education as an adult can require considerable courage, especially for someone whose earlier experience of school was discouraging.

The Government’s emphasis on programmes such as Upskill, DigiLearn and the National Apprenticeship Programme is welcome. The next measure of success should be what happens to participants afterwards.

Do they complete their training? Do employers recognise the qualification? Does it help them secure steadier work, greater responsibility or better pay?

Those are the outcomes that make the effort worthwhile.

Employers have an important part to play. They know where skills are missing and which experienced employees could progress with additional support. Helping to shape courses, offering supervised experience and allowing reasonable time for training would turn that knowledge into opportunity.

Businesses should also examine whether their recruitment requirements exclude capable applicants unnecessarily. A qualification essential to doing a job safely is one thing. A credential demanded out of habit deserves reconsideration.

Workers, in turn, must be willing to learn, accept assessment and meet professional standards. A credible system asks something of everyone.

There is dignity in becoming better at your work. There is also frustration in giving years to a job while feeling that advancement remains out of reach.

Minister Glover-Rolle is right to put career development alongside job creation. Employment should offer people room to grow.

For the Bahamian who has acquired valuable skills over years of work, the message should be straightforward: what you have learned counts. Here is how to prove it, strengthen it and take the next step.