HEART/NSTA Trust Moves Three Level Two TVET Courses Online Under CARICOM Pilot

The HEART/NSTA Trust has converted three Level Two training programmes for online delivery as part of a CARICOM pilot project aimed at aligning technical and vocational education and training standards across the region.

Jamaica participated in the project with Grenada, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. The courses were placed on the agency’s Moodle learning platform and have been ready for use since May 18 at selected HEART/NSTA Trust institutions.

The online offerings are waxing technology Level Two at the HEART College of Beauty Services, tiling Level Two at the HEART College of Construction Services, and baker and cake technology Level Two at the HEART College of Hospitality Services. HEART/NSTA Trust says it intends to put at least 10 more programmes in digital format by March 2027.

The update was given at the closing summit of the CARICOM TVET Digitalisation Project, held last week at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. HEART Trust managing director Dr Taneisha Ingleton said the work was pressing, given the number of young Jamaicans outside work, school and training.

“As of July 2025, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica’s labour force data shows that approximately 25.5 per cent of Jamaica’s youth are not in employment, education or training. For HEART/NSTA Trust, that figure carries the weight of institutional responsibility. It is a mandate to expand access, strengthen flexibility and ensure that pathways to skills and certification reach those who need them most,” she stated.

Ingleton said the project should make training easier to access because learners can engage with course material at different times. She said the approach is also expected to support certification, improve flexibility, boost participation and completion, widen the regional reach of programmes, and allow more self-paced study.

Rayharna Wright, vice-chair of HEART’s board, also supported the move to online instruction, saying it would help the training system serve more people.

“It allows us to extend learning opportunities beyond traditional physical limitations. It creates conditions for greater continuity, stronger learner support systems, enhanced quality assurance and more consistent delivery standards across institutions,” she said.

Dr Denise Stoney James, deputy programme manager at the CARICOM Secretariat, said the gains made under the project came from cooperation among regional stakeholders.

“The platform that we have built and the educators that we have equipped are a result of strong partnership and shared vision,” she said.

The pilot received financial support from GIZ, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, the German development agency.