McArdle, T. Skill Development, Productivity Improvement and the Impact of HEART Trust/NTA in Jamaica. In: ILO/Cinterfor. Vocational training and productivity. Montevideo, 2008.

HEART BACKGROUND (Historical Summary)

Our organization is the facilitating and coordinating body for workforce development in Jamaica. We provide access to training, competence assessment and certification to all working age Jamaicans and offer career development and employment facilitation services island-wide. Training is provided both in the workplace (Enterprise-Based), as well as through our 28 formal technical vocational and education training (TVET) institutions and over 120 TVET special programmes (Institution Based).

Our annual enrolment exceeds 80,000, and our annual certification is now above 60,000. In addition, the organization, through the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and training (NCTVET), acts as the quality manager of the TVET system. It develops competency standards and assessment instruments, provides certification to individuals and accreditation to TVET institutions, programmes and registered training organizations.

The Human Employment and Resource Training (HEART) Trust was established in 1982. HEART is financed through a compulsory 3% payroll deduction levied on qualified private sector firms, which is supplemented by assistance from international partners. The Trust is mandated to finance, develop and monitor employment-training programmes, assist in placing graduates seeking jobs and promote employment projects.

Organisational Structure

The HEART Trust/NTA is a statutory agency of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture. Policy direction is provided by a Board appointed by the Minister of Education, Youth and Culture, and day to day management is facilitated through eight functional divisions, which support a number of departments, units and institutions.

The Board is committed to the maintenance of the highest standards of corporate governance and accountability in the business affairs of the organization. The Board determines overall strategy and policies on business directions, financial objectives, control and performance, and resource allocation.

The Board comprises one Executive Director and fourteen Non-Executive Directors, who represent a wide range of skills and knowledge of various sectors.

1. The Executive Director's Office, which is responsible for the repositioning of the organization through the strategic activities of human resource development, public information and marketing, partnership with the Ministry of Education and activities demonstrating the Agency's transparency and integrity. The Executive Director's Office oversees the work of all the other functional divisions.

2. The National Programmes Directors Office, which has responsibility for the training delivery arm of the HEART Trust/NTA.

3. The Technical Services Division, which provides relevant technical services to facilitate an increase in the number and quality of certified workers to meet labor and market demands.

4. The HEART Trust Fund, which ensures the collection of adequate revenues and optimizing the use of the organization's human, financial and physical resources to meet the demands of employers for a competent workforce.

5. The Information Technology Centre, which improves the use of information and communication technologies in key aspects of the TVET system for increased efficiency, effectiveness and relevance.

6. Planning and Project Development Division, which has responsibility for the continued strengthening of the planning and evaluation capacity of the organization.

7. Human Resource Planning and Development, which has responsibility for ensuring staff development that supports the organization's pursuit of its vision and mission.

8. National Council on Technical Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) has the important activities of quality control and increasing access to certification and accreditation.

Vision

A Jamaican workforce trained and certified to international standards stimulating employment- creating investments contributing to the improved productivity, competitiveness and prosperity of individuals, enterprises, and the nation.

Our Core Values are:

Customer Satisfaction

Quality

Learning, Creativity and Innovation

Relevance

Partnership

Teamwork

The use of ICTs in Distance Education: the HEART Trust/NTA experience. In: Workshop: Information and Communication Technologies in National and Regional Training Systems. Kingston, Jamaica. February 12 - 15, 2008

Jamaica's High School Equivalency Programme (HISEP) launched on July 27

Skill Development, Productivity Improvement and the Impact of HEART Trust-NTA in Jamaica. Tom McArdle. September 2007. (presentation) In: Technical Meeting: The role of vocational training in productivity, employment and development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Salvador, Bahia (Brasil), September, 2007

Experiences and Challenges. Information and CommunicationTechnologies in Vocational Training in Jamaica. Donald Foster, Executive Director. Address to the 38th. Meeting of the Technical Committee of Cinterfor/ILO. 2007

Skill is power: broadening partnerships to promote youth employment. HEART and the Jamaica Employers' Federation (JEF) promote learning opportunities and skills young people can use when they get out of school

Employment Training in Caribbean: A study of 5 countries. Thomas McArdle. Senior Director, Planning and project development. November, 2004

Annual Report 2004-2005

Caribbean Journal of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Workforce Development, v.1, n. 1, 2005

National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training - NCTVET - Caribbean Conference Presentations

Annual Report 2003-2004

ICT4D Jamaica Officially launched

HEART Trust/NTA, the National Training Agency of Jamaica, has launched new website

Training and productive development. Community-based training. Robert Gregory. Executive Director. Address to the 36th. Meeting of the Technical Committee of Cinterfor/ILO. Guatemala, 2003.

Report from the English Speaking Caribbean Group.
36th Technical Committee Meeting Report., 2003

Address by Robert Gregory, Executive Director HEART Trust/NTA, to the Annual Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF) Conference
Ocho Rios, Jamaica, May 30, 2003

IVETA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Improving Education and Training Systems

A systematic approach in the management of training at the HEART/NTA in Cinterfor/ILO: Modernization in Vocational Education and Training in the Latin American and the Caribbean Region. Montevideo, 2001. p. 18

Jamaica: research and technical teaching development for upgrading the skills of human resources for training

As the Quality Manager, the NCTVET has overall responsibility for developing competency standards, assessment and qualification guidelines, certifying assessors, accrediting training organizations and issuing the National Vocational Qualifications of Jamaica (NVQ-J) to individuals who have demonstrated the required competencies in the various occupational areas.

National Qualifications Register