“I can be considered a primary school dropout,” says the former schoolteacher and senior lecturer at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College, Mr Kenroy Questelles, as he outlined his academic journey. Mr Questelles is the Director of the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA), the apex body for technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in SVG.
“I became frustrated and disoriented after not achieving the level of success anticipated at the Common Entrance Exams.” The Director indicated that he stopped attending school for just over a term. Two years after returning, he successfully completed the School Leaving Exams (SLE) which was the primary exit examination for the “all age schools” of the time.
The Belvedere resident and father of three explained how he made the most of the opportunity to be a teacher. ‘Over a three-year period, I attended the teachers training centre and upgraded my education and then went on to the SVG Teachers College, the University of Technology Jamaica, and the University of Technology Malaysia’ he says, sharing his belief that education and training can turn lives round.
Kenroy has served as a member of the SSDA Board for six years and has been the Director for the last three years. “As a member of the SSDA Board, I became aware of the DFID initiative in the OECS at a board meeting,” Mr Questelles said. “In the early stages, I had the opportunity as Director to discuss the project with officials from DFID and later with an official from Mott MacDonald (that manages SkYE),” he recalls.
The SSDA is playing an integral part in coordinating the delivery of SkYE training programmes across five different Training Providers. Also, it is the certifying body for the Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQ) which is are being offered by these Training Providers.
A TVET INNOVATOR
The Director noted that prior to the intervention by SkYE, the sector lacked the capacity to implement certain programmes and to certify trainees at higher levels of the qualifications framework. SkYE has supported SSDA to introduce Level 2 CVQs, enabling trainees to progress from Level 1 to Level 3 for the first time in SVG. Other innovative developments under SkYE include the development of Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR) allowing those with skills and experience but no recognized training or qualification to acquire a valuable certificate. With SkYE, the Technical Institutes under SSDA and the Department for Adult and Continuing Education (DACE) have been able to develop a wide range of short, part-time, entry level courses, often in the evenings to ease childcare or work commitments. These have helped disadvantaged youth access training, often for the first time.
STRENGTHENING SSDA
Kenroy notes SkYE’s wider support. “We had some obvious financial limitations which impacted programmes across the sector, and data to support training was also a challenge”, he says. The Director is of the opinion that the SSDA has developed a greater appreciation for capturing data to measure and reward outcomes because of the involvement with SkYE. Further, he conveys that SkYE, through the capacity building support, will add significant value to the sector. “Training of assessors and verifiers, CBET workshops and the instructor’s qualification training will have a positive impact on quality assurance within the training system,” he adds.
He cited improving the relationship between employers and other stakeholders as another way in which SSDA with SkYE support can bring added value to the sector. The Director was very forthright as it relates to the benefits of working with the private sector, “The private sector is a major TVET stakeholder for access to funding and resources.” Further, he notes that Training Providers rely heavily on the private sector for offering internships and employment.
“The SSDA was established on a strong foundation,” says the optimistic Director. “My greatest wish is for the SSDA to become fully autonomous and to certify training at higher levels of the qualification’s framework”.
FACTS
The Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) is a four-year, UKaid funded programme to provide certified skills training for 6,000 disadvantaged young people, including those challenged by disability, in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The Programme will develop a more productive and inclusive workforce in sectors with good economic growth potential.
SkYE is supporting national training authorities and training providers to make systemic improvements to the development, delivery and quality assurance of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in the four focus islands through targeted capacity building.
