WORK ON the Technical and Vocational Educational Training (TVET) Centres at Mahaicony and Leonora are expected to be completed around July to August, with their doors being formally open to students in September. According to a Ministry of Education press release, Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh on a recent site visit to both facilities, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work and urged the contractors to put their shoulders to the wheel and deliver the projects on time.
The centre at Mahaicony (in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) is, to date, about 48 percent complete despite delays caused by the inclement weather in January, while the other at Leonora (in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) is some 58 percent complete.
Both projects are part of a $US9.6M Canadian Development Bank (CDB)-funded programme, which also provides for the training of TVET instructors and the retooling of TVET centres, the release noted.
One of the main outcomes of the initiative is to include a revised and regionally certified TVET curriculum that is more relevant to the current workforce. 
The programme is in keeping with the Ministry of Education’s thrust to build capacity and increase opportunities for youths in society.
Baksh said the facilities will enhance skills training at the rural level, provide a better match of the skill needs and the skills set of the workforce, and open up avenues of employment for young people.
When completed, the institutes will house some 200 students each, and apart from the regular academic programmes, short courses in various areas of community development, craft and information technology will be offered. 

Technical training in Schools
The Ministry of Education has already implemented the mechanism at the secondary level to produce students for the technical institutions, and work has already begun to get the local TVET programme compliant with regional standards.
At the Secondary level, some 35 secondary schools are offering the Secondary Competence Certificate Programme (SCCP), which initiative has also been implemented at seven practical instructional Centres.
The SCCP is designed to equip students who leave school before completing the secondary cycle with a skill that will make them employable on the job market.
Under the programme, students are instructed in several vocational areas, including crops and soil sciences, art and fabric decoration, catering, household management and garment construction, electrical installation, carpentry, joinery, masonry, metalwork and welding.
Students who complete the programme are presented with certificates, which make them eligible for first entry-level jobs. 
Students who successfully completed the Third Form programme can move to a more advance level in Fourth Form and eventually write the TVET subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and move on to higher studies.   
The Ministry of Education in its five-year strategic plan intends to implement this programme in 70 secondary schools by 2013.
While in Region Three, Minister Baksh also visited the new $293M Leonora Secondary School which is under construction. Work on the school is around 65 percent complete and from all indications, it is expected to open its doors in September.