1 / 35

Building a Lifelong Learning Strategy in Jamaica

Building a Lifelong Learning Strategy in Jamaica. Presentation for Latin American Forum on Cycles in Tertiary Education October 7, 2005 Tom McArdle Senior Director Planning & Project Development HEART Trust/National Training Agency, Jamaica. Background.

morley
Download Presentation

Building a Lifelong Learning Strategy in Jamaica

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Building a Lifelong Learning Strategy in Jamaica Presentation for Latin American Forum on Cycles in Tertiary Education October 7, 2005 Tom McArdle Senior Director Planning & Project Development HEART Trust/National Training Agency, Jamaica

  2. Background Partnership: World Bank and HEART Trust/NTA (Dr. Lorraine Blank) 2003 Process: Earlier Review of TVET (2001) Data Gathering and Interviews Business Survey Private Providers Survey Stakeholders “Way Forward” Workshop Focus: Post-Secondary Training Since Then: Lifelong Learning Task Force

  3. Jamaica and the West Indies

  4. Contrasts: “Two Jamaicas” High End Tourism vs. Urban & Rural Poverty

  5. Jamaica at a Glance Tourism & Distribution Interest Rate 17.7% Inflation 14% Unemployment 11.7% Female 16.4% Male 7.9% Services Economy High migration & remittances High inequality, Crime HDI #79 Population 2.6m Lower Middle Income GDP per cap US$2,820 Poverty 15%

  6. Achievements and Commitments • Achievements Over 90% Pre-primary Enrollment Universal Primary Universal lower Secondary • Commitments Achieve Universal Upper Secondary Expand Tertiary Expand Skills Training/Upgrade Workforce

  7. Why Emphasis on Lifelong Learning is Important School Leavers • Almost 1 in 5 leave after Grade 9 • Among Grade 11 school leavers 1 out of 3 don’t sit exams Of those who sit: 4 out of 10 fail English 7 out of 10 fail Mathematics

  8. Why Emphasis on Lifelong Learning is Important? • 75% of employed/unemployed have no vocational, technical or professional training • 74% of first time job seekers have no vocational, technical or professional training

  9. Why Emphasis on Lifelong Learning is Important? • 60% of persons under 34 have no academic qualifications • Over 75% of persons 35+ have no academic qualifications • 20% of adults are illiterate and another 15% possess only basic literacy skills

  10. Tertiary Education Community Colleges, U of the West Indies, U of Technology, Northern Caribbean U, Edna Manley School, GC Foster College, Teachers Colleges, VTDI, MIND, Private and off-shore institutions Vocational Training HEART Trust/NTA (Academies, Institutes, VTCs, SL-TOPS, Apprenticeship, Special Programs) Community Colleges, Private Training Institutes, Public/Private In-Service, Community Based/NGO Programs Adult Education JAMAL, Private Adult Education Institutes, Various Community Development Projects and Programs, Various NGO Training Programs Post Secondary Providers

  11. Agency Responsibility Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture Policy and planning for education, administration, financing of education HEART Trust/ National Training Agency Coordinating, funding, developing training programs, ensuring quality provision; operating training institutions and programs National Council for TVET Accredits training institutions and certifies participants and vocational instructors Adopts standards for occupations University Council of Jamaica Accrediting, awards and academic development body for degree, diploma and certificate programs in tertiary institutions Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica Supervising and coordinating work of the Community Colleges

  12. LLL Enrolments Expanding • 02-03 04-05 • All Tertiary 28,700 50,376 • All HEART 35,900 61,040 • JAMAL (literacy)11,400 11,219 •   76,000 122,635 • HEART is J$3.2b of J$5.2b (61%) of public spending on training of US $84m/yr

  13. Private Sector Involvement • Significant at all levels of education and training • Significant investments by employers (in-service upgrading and 3% HEART Tax) • Private sector participation on boards and standards settings for HEART & NCTVET

  14. Private Sector Involvement • 90% of firms involved in training • Mostly skill upgrading rather than compensating for deficiencies • Training more likely for more educated workers • 60% use training plans • 50% do training needs analysis

  15. National Training Agency • Financing • Regulating • Operating • QA • Standards Development • Accreditation • Certification Financed by 3% Payroll Levy

  16. HEART Trust/NTA Financing • 3% payroll levy + earnings + interest and grants finances: • 10 Academies and Institutes: 21,000 served • 16 Vocational Training Centres: 14,500 served • >100 Community-Based Training projects: 8,900 served • On-the-Job Training: 5,300 served, 1100 firms • Productivity training: 60 firms, 5,000 workers/year continued…

  17. HEART Trust/NTA Financing • Instructor training and upgrading, and professional programmes: 3,800 served • Training at 13 SDC and MOEYC facilities • 14 Technical High Schools assisted (2,400) • National Council for TVET (Standards, accreditation, certification, QA)

  18. Institutional Enrolment

  19. Training Programs Four components of content: • Skills training • Educational & employability components • Information Technology • Entrepreneurship • Core + Electives to customize

  20. System Problems • Nearly half of applicants cannot pass admission test-limits access despite measures • Limited uptake of CBT in schools and tertiary institutions, but growing • Difficulties with higher-level training • Financing mechanisms favour lower-level training, $ assistance not needs-based. • Weak absorption of graduates; low growth in jobs-signs of change now

  21. HEART Partnerships • Caribbean Institute of Technology • Alpart-bauxite industry apprenticeship • Team Jamaica • Culinary Institute of America • UTECH • Technical High Schools • Rationalisation of TVET in Secondary Schools • Digital Design, CPEC, GTZ, IDB, UNICEF, UNDP, SRC, Heritage, CCCJ

  22. HEART’s Mandate for 2005-2008 • Increase participation to 100,000 per annum • Certify one-half of workforce by 2008 • Respond to investments in tourism and bauxite-alumina

  23. National Qualification Framework • Unit competency standards like Australia and New Zealand • Assessment tightly linked to standards • Recognition of prior learning • Pathways for recognition & progression: on-the-job, training programs, online learning, etc.

  24. NQ Framework Higher levels possible based on buy-in by tertiary sector

  25. New Features of the System • Unit competency standards-modular delivery, assessment and certification • “Learners” are assessed and certified on each competency • Competencies accumulate into a National Qualification on a National Qualification Register • Accredit training providers incl. firms • Use of credits to enable articulation

  26. New Features of the System • Strengthened industry training lead groups producing more standards (about 300 titles) • Firms working to become accredited training and/or assessment providers • NCTVET role changing from assessment to quality assurance-assures quality of assessment • Creates a broader market for training and certification services

  27. Results so Far • 2/3 of system on new framework • Greater access to training system, and access to certification framework • More flexible system • System that can bridge secondary, “post-secondary” and tertiary education-more inclusive • System beginning to produce more higher- level certifications, and • Can better accommodate upgrading for existing workers, great increase last year

  28. Major Opportunities • Large investments in new hotels, and bauxite alumina industry-wanting certified workers • Work-based training: 330,000 workers say they have skills and some training but no certification • Regional initiatives-CANTA

  29. Articulation with Tertiary Education: Picking Low-Hanging Fruits • Child Care Certificate 2 diploma • I.T. diploma degree • “Engineering” diploma degree • Agriculture Certificate 2 diploma • Multi skilled construction Certificate 2 degree in construction management Work where there is energy for change!

  30. Issues in Articulation with Tertiary Education University Council of Jamaica • Question of “terminal” qualifications • Restrictions on vocational programs in community colleges • Lack of understanding of CBT • How to assess tertiary learners in NQF framework

  31. Many Rivers to Cross • Low levels of basic education in the workforce and poor English • Educational inequities put over half of school leavers at a serious disadvantage in access to LLL opportunities • Financing of training is not needs-based • Acceptance of a National Qualifications Framework (MOE, tertiary institutions) • CXC Technical-Vocational subjects?

  32. Many Rivers to Cross • Getting more firms to embrace standards-based concept and certification • Re-orientation of citizenry to lifelong learning process • Micro-business sector-how should training assist?

  33. Many Rivers to Cross • How to balance the need for higher level training and tertiary-level training vs. lower-level training aimed at the poor? • Competition between social demand and economic demand • Combining NCTVET and UCJ-National Qualifications Authority concept

  34. Bob Marley’s Words • ONE LOVE • ONE HEART • ONE AIM • ONE DESTINY

More Related