Technical and vocational training today is assuming increasing importance in industrial pursuits and the production as the need for quality keeps growing in a world economy driven competition. For this reason education systems throughout the world are placing increasing focus on technical and vocational training. In this regard, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in a study noted:

“There is ample consensus among researchers that education and training have been critical factors of production and the recent technological improvements have magnified their importance.”

“In the second half of the century the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean invested in the creation of training systems that proved to be valuable to national development policies. High growth rates in the decades past assured employment for all the graduates. In fact, at the time, the number of graduates was more important than the quality of training they received. However, after a succession of economic crises that began in the 1970s, quality became more important as did the careful adaptation of training to meet existing demand.”

A UNESCO conference in Geneva as far back as 1974 noted that in view of the role of technical vocational education in sustaining the complex structure of modern civilization and continued economic progress and the needs of Member States, particularly the developing countries, for guidance in the planning and improvement of their educational systems, the General Conference decided that technical and vocational education should be made the subject of an international instrument of the form of a Recommendation to Member States. A first Recommendation on Technical and Vocational Education was adopted by the General Conference at its twelfth session in 1962. It set forth general principles to be observed regarding the objectives, planning organization of technical and vocational education, as well as international co-operation in this field.

Considering the rapid technological and educational changes and the increasing importance of technical and vocational education for social and economic development, the General Conference decided to revise this Recommendation.

The Revised Recommendation, adopted in 1974, emphasises the democratization of education in the context of lifelong education in improving education as a whole for social, economic and cultural development. It sets forth-general principles, goals and guidelines to be applied by a country according to its needs and resources.

Against this backdrop it is commendable that in this year’s there is focus once again on technical and vocational education with an allocation of almost one billion dollars including provision for the construction of technical institutes at Mahaicony and Leonora and already a deal with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) of US$9.6M for their construction has been clinched.

The institutes are expected to be completed in nine months once construction begins, and will house 200 students each. The remainder of the money will be utilized in others areas, including capacity building.

These facilities are in addition to similar ones at Skeldon, New Amsterdam, Anna Regina, etc and will certainly help to boost technical and vocational education in rural communities.

This is another demonstration of the government’s ongoing attention and focus on improving all aspects of the education system.

However, it would be most helpful if those within the Ministry of Education who have responsibility for technical and vocation training look at staffing for these facilities if before their construction are completed to ensure that there is adequate classroom instruction when become operational.

Guyana certainly needs all the skilled human resources it could garner as it grapples with shortages in this regards because of high levels of migration which is facing the developing world.

These facilities will certainly help to fill the void in skilled personnel and at the same time prepare our youths for the world of work.