Status of competency based education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training – Belize

Competency - based Curriculum Design
TVET Council, Barbados - Ministry of Labour and Social Security,
Barbados, 19 to 23 November 2001

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COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION CURRICULUM DESIGN & CERTIFICATION

Curricula and Instructional Materials

Unlike its academic counterpart, vocational/education curriculum is based upon identified occupational needs of a particular locale. That is, TVET programmes should provide occupational competencies, which are suitable and relevant to the local labour market and better serve the needs of business and industry and emerging technologies. Thus, curriculum justification extends beyond the school setting and into the community. Just as the curriculum is oriented toward the student, support for that curriculum is derived from employment opportunities that exist for the graduate.

The TVET programmes which are in operation are derived generally from technical programmes of regional and other overseas examining bodies (CXC, GCE and City and Guilds) which are not tailored to meet the specific needs of the local market conditions. In other cases, especially involving the per- vocational and short courses, there are no properly developed programmes where the curricula are determined and developed in a rational and systematic manner involving competent, technical and professional workers. This basic deficiency impacts negatively on the integrity and quality of the training.

In this light, competency-based methodologies are almost non-existent in the system with the exception of its use in the CETs since the inception of the first CET in 1992. Presently, MOES operates CETs in four Districts: Belize City, Cayo, Corozal and Toledo and GOB has committed to the establishment of at least one CET in each of the six districts to provide training in occupational skills which are suitable and relevant to the local labour market and economic opportunities. Furthermore, instructors both present and past were provided with various in-house training on DACUM and CBE methodologies. Most important to note, Programme (Craft) Committees are established to provide guidance and relevance to curriculum development, implementation and monitoring of trainee achievement throughout their training.

The CET model is a holistic structure, which promotes the trainee as the centre of all training. Given the various needs and levels of trainees, an open entry/open exit system is ideal in ensuring that students start training when space is available and complete training whenever training requirements are met, based on each student's self-paced capabilities. Programmes should be highly individualized since students start and finish training at different times, and require variable lengths of stays in order to complete their training. A prerequisite to the CET training is on-the-job training, which allows for a first-hand experience on the "real world". The success of CETs is placed on the rate of related job placement of its students.

As has been reiterated before, CET's curricula are regional in outlook and responsive to the development strategies of the country. CETs will increase training and development opportunities for several hundred secondary school leavers who can not now gain entry into the existing post-secondary institutions and programmes, as well as provide higher level training opportunities for the thousands of out-of-school youths who have prematurely exited the school system and who have already received some degree of basic training. See CET Priority Area Focus, Appendix A

More specifically, the project will assist in developing a more effective system geared towards modularised competency based curricula for levels I,II and III derived from agreed standards in the relevant areas of:

* Agriculture Electronics
* Automotive Trade Building Trade
* Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
* Data Processing
* Tourism, etc.

These programmes also include a core component of: Mathematics, English Language, Life Skills, inclusive of interpersonal relations and teamwork. The planned TVET offerings are shown in the lnstructional Programmes for CET at Appendix B.

Development of Occupational Testing and Certification

Presently, there is not a national system for occupational certification, which can be used to place workers at the appropriate level of their competence within the workforce and assist business and industry with their proper selection, placement and remuneration. To this end, ETES is responsible for the development of an occupational and certification scheme appropriate for certifying the occupational competence of CET graduates as well as workers in the labour force who have acquired competence on the job but who currently have no certification. ETES will develop systems and mechanisms for skills testing and verification of competence within CET and other approved institutions for the on-going assessment of competence for certification.

CONCLUSION:

The proposed structure for the TVET system is based on a model that is integrated and articulated at all levels of the education sector. The education and training system of Belize as a whole will be expanded with the introduction of CETs in all of the Districts. Training opportunities will be provided for more than 20,000 persons over the next ten years. Through their training, participants will enhance their access to the job market, productivity in the work environment, opportunities for promotion to supervisory and management levels, and potential for undertaking even more advanced training. The number of nationals employed within the country is therefore expected to increase significantly. Easy access to adequately trained manpower will also be an attractive inducement to potential investors, thus paving the way for further expansion of the productive sectors within the economy and increasing the likelihood for the long- term economic and social advancement of Belize.

 

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