36th Technical Committee Meeting

Preliminary Report

Annex 2

REPORTS OF THE SUBREGIONAL AND SECTORAL GROUPS

*English-speaking Caribbean
*Central America and Caribbean
*South America
*Employers' representatives
*Workers' representatives

 

REPORT FROM THE ENGLISH SPEAKING CARIBBEAN GROUP

This group comprised of the English speaking Caribbean Island Nations and the Republic of Haiti.

Coming out of our discussion were the following main issues.

1. The strengthening of the CINTERFOR/ILO English Website.

2. Implications for Training Agencies and VTIs with the rapidly approaching (SME and FTAA).

3. Which agency would take the lead in the development, management and implementation of CVQ's.

4. Adult education and lifelong learning.

5. The impact of CSME and FTAA on the labour market.

ITEM 1

- A brief presentation was made by Gonzalo Graña from CINTERFOR/ILO.
- Details were given on effort to correct the difficulty experienced by English speaking territories in making use of documents and information published in Spanish.
- This problem was one highlighted at the last CINTERFOR/ILO meeting in Brasilia two years ago.
- We are pleased to see that something is being done in this regard .
- We also note that English documents from the English speaking territories will be translated into Spanish and will be submitted through the Port-of-Spain focal point.

ITEM 2

- CSSME Caricom Single Market and Economy.
- The individual efforts of different territories to develop NVQ's were noted.
- Certification of the workforce was necessary to make workers regionally and internationally marketable.
- At the regional level efforts are underway to establish a CARICOM wide system of vocational qualifications.
- One of the main objectives of the CSME is free movement of labour.
- National Training Agencies move speedly to implement the CVQ's.

ITEM 3

- Several agencies are involved in efforts develop CVQ's.
- CXC (Caribbean Examination Council) is the body that overseas Caribbean Examination in the Secondary Schools.
- Traditional success in the Secondary Schools was measured by how many subjects gained passes in and what grades they obtained.
- The group felt that the experiences of VTIS and NTAS has positioned them to take a leading role in development of CVQ's.
- Of particular concern was the (CXC) traditional approach of who are attempting to take the lead in this effort.
- All territories subscribe to a competency based training approach.
- There is a need for greater cooperation in the development of standards in particular establishing a standard format.

ITEM 4

- Adult education and lifelong learning.
- The current system of training in the CARICOM must be reorganized to provide opportunities for those who leave left school without any certification to gain their high school equivalency.
- To provide continues learning for those who are currently in the workforce to enable greater marketability and flexibility.

ITEM 5 . Pending layoffs . Restructuring

. There is a need to educate workers to make them aware of what the CSME and FTAA could mean for them.

. Worker training and education in the present volatile economic climate should begin prior to restructuring or re-engineering of the enterprise.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. A one-day symposium be held in September to complete the signing of a MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING OF CARIBBEAN NTAS.

This symposium would present an opportunity to sensitise all stakeholders on the issues mentioned, and to highlight the need for closer collaboration with training agencies, training institutions and the traditional education system.

2. There should be a Caribbean Conference of all decision-makers and stakeholders to rationalise efforts to establish a system of Caribbean vocational qualifications.

This Conference will include CARICOM, Ministries of Labour, Ministries of Education, vocational training institutions and the university.

Participants:

Raphael Cave, Barbados Vocational Training Board
Edward Bushell, Barbados Employers' Confederation
Jean Camille Calvin, INFP, Haiti
Robert Gregory, HEART Trust/NTA, Jamaica
Jennifer Walker, National Council on TVET, Jamaica
Fazal Karim, National Training Agency, Trinidad & Tobago
Robert Giuseppi, NATUC, Trinidad & Tobago
George Gamerdinger, ILO Subregional Office for the Caribbean.
Gonzalo Graña, Cinterfor/ILO Consultant

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