NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (December 21, 2020) — Hon. Troy Liburd, Junior Minister of Education in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) has revealed plans for a new Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) wing at the Charlestown Secondary School (CSS).

This came during his presentation on the NIA’s 2021 Budget, held at the Nevis Island Assembly on December 9, 2020.

“There is supposed to be a redoing of the technical wing at the Charlestown Secondary School. That one has not commenced as yet in terms of the physical work but the project is well underway. The plans and so on have been drawn and all of the consultants and so on have been put on the project.

“We had to rework some of the plans…we wanted to see some changes made to the building to make it more functional. We want what you would call a future proof building, so that in 15 years it is not obsolete…it is something that can grow with the times and can expand when needed,” he said.

The Junior Minister said the proposed TVET wing for the CSS is part of a collaborative TVET Enhancement Project between the federal government and the NIA.

“The NIA in conjunction with the federal government, we have been undertaking a TVET project, a very large project. We are part of the project.

“It is not our project alone here in Nevis. It’s a federal project that we are a part of, and one of the deliverables of the project here in Nevis is a technical wing at the Gingerland Secondary School[GSS] that is already under construction…and I must say the construction is going well,” he explained.

He further informed that the project at CSS, which is the island’s largest high school, will take some more time to get started as it will be “much bigger than the one at Gingerland Secondary”.

Mr. Liburd said based on what is being planned, having the TVET wings attached to the public secondary schools will augur well for the advancement of skills training and certification for young school leavers.

“This is going to be good for our students here in Nevis. When these two buildings are finished, and when all of the classes start happening there, it’s going to be beneficial to the people of Nevis.

“Students are going to be getting what you call CVQ…[Caribbean Vocational Qualification] or the NVQ…[National Vocational Qualification]. You can walk out of school with your CVQ or NVQ as an electrician and walk onto a job, and you are not going to be a labourer or maybe not even an apprentice, depending on your level.

“You might be a competent electrician or plumber, or mason, and that is what is going to come out of this. This is addressing something that people have been talking about for a long time… ‘oh we want people coming out of school with more practical skills and more practical knowledge’. Well, this is the project to do it,” he said.

The Junior Minister of Education said the construction work at the CSS is slated to commence in 2021.

The construction of the TVET wing at the GSS, which began in August 2020, is progressing apace, according to the Junior Minister.