INTRODUCTION
A 28-year-old entrepreneur with a professional background in Photography and Social Media Content and a recent M.Sc. graduate, Ian Hughes developed a keen interest in vocational skills enrichment. Being the son of a retired teacher with over 50 years of service, he shares her commitment to impart knowledge especially in digital media.
Ian was introduced to TVET in 2020 after receiving a request from the Grenada National Training Agency (GNTA) to provide technical input in the development of a Multimedia NVQ Standard. He became familiar with the SkYE Programme through the funded La Boucan Community Cultural Production training. He commends the SkYE Programme for “intentionally providing second chances to young persons whose learning pathway differs from the traditional school system but more importantly, targeting disadvantaged youths.”
VALUE OF TVET
Being a student who learned best through practical activities in his early years, Ian contends that there is a misalignment with the traditional education system and the labour force which is skills oriented. He further stated that, “School curriculums are not balanced between the academic and technical pathways; thus, students are not provided with options for their growth and development. Moreover, there is institutional stigmatization toward students requiring alternative learning strategies.” He concluded that as a result, TVET-trained instructors are “valuable to youth empowerment and productivity in our society.”
Ian remarked that the GNTA Instructors’ Training was very informative and interactive, and the facilitators were very impressive and knowledgeable. Participants represented various backgrounds, experiences and ages which provided opportunities to learn from each other. As a result, he has come to appreciate the TVET approach to education which he believes considers the whole person and is designed to help people to succeed.
When asked about his feelings regarding the training, Ian said, “I felt privileged to receive this training since the industry of multimedia services needs professional training.”
Most current service providers are self-taught, but the industry is evolving and growing rapidly. Therefore, he considers himself to be well-positioned to contribute to GNTA’s capacity especially in the field of multimedia and hopes to make his services available to training providers. Ian looks forward to other training opportunities including at the level of Assessor.
As part of its capacity building support, SkYE is enabling the GNTA to increase human capacities in a rnge of TVET-support services, especially in innovative emerging sectors such as the Multimedia Course.
FACTS
Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) is a four-year, UKaid funded programme to provide certified skills training for 6,000 disadvantaged young people, including those challenged by disability, in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The Programme will develop a more productive and inclusive workforce in sectors with good economic growth potential.
SkYE is supporting national training authorities and training providers to make systemic improvements to the development, delivery and quality assurance of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in the four focus islands through targeted capacity building.
