CARNEGIE School of Home Economics third annual staff retreat has paved the way for various advancements at the institution, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. John Seeram said.

The two-day programme, hosted at Hotel Tower, Main street, also in Georgetown, from Tuesday, was themed ‘Magnetising the work environment through attitudinal changes and improved institutional standards’.

In his addresses to the participants, Seeram said the event was both timely and necessary and aimed at providing an opportunity for development and enhancement of skills, in order to deliver a high level of professional service and improving standards.

He said Carnegie has to be innovative and dynamic if it is to remain relevant in today’s harsh environment and the exercise offered the forum for serious evaluation and reflection; identification of ways to improve the learning environment and enhancing delivery; motivation for hard work and maintaining dedication.

Seeram said the school is poised for a new beginning in spite of the difficulties it faces and the workshop enabled it to upgrade its curriculum delivery; prepare for national accreditation of its programmes; strive for admission to the Guyana Technical Education Examination Board (GTEE) and pilot a competency-based modularised curriculum, the last being imperative for progress.

He pointed out that competency based learning is the way to go in technical/vocational education, because all other Caribbean countries have already embraced it.

Students coming to this institution will be able to learn at their own pace. They will complete a module when they are competent. If they fail to reach the competency level required, we will work with them until they attain it,” Seeram said.

He acknowledged that adopting that curriculum requires a major shift from the traditional mode of teaching and learning but posited that, for the system to work, there has to be changes in attitudes and acceptance by staffers and that was the reason for the workshop.

Seeram challenged the staff to be more focused, determined, dedicated and willing to embrace the changes in order to fulfill their mandate.

The Principal, Ms. Penelope Harris agreed and said the deliberations just concluded were about understanding change and how vocational training centres, like Carnegie should adapt.

The facilitator, Ms. Beverly Braithwaite-Chan said the two days were used to create, in the work environment, a stimulus to retain human resource and help with the progress of the institution.

Topics explored included vocation as a calling; vocation and personality; developing a professional image others respect; the need to draw on inner collective strengths when working as a team and magnetising the work environment, which was critical to the theme.

?orging an understanding will not only benefit the staff but, by extension, assist the students of the school,” Braithwaite-Chan asserted