HEART course oversubscribed
THEY were planning for 50 students, but the National Tool and Engineering Institute (NTEI) at HEART Trust/NTA had to open its new Renewable Energy Efficiency Technology course to an additional 20 persons given the number of applications it received.
“The current intake is overwhelming,” said the Trust’s director of marketing and communications, Natalie Fearon, in an email response to the Jamaica Observer.
“It was our intention to accommodate only 50 participants, but due to the high demand for these emerging skill sets, the institution currently has 70 participants registered. In total, the programme has received approximately 100 applications,” she added.
The course opened a week-and-a-half ago, on Monday, January 27, and is set on 18- and 24-month schedules, depending on whether study is undertaken full-time or part-time. Successful completion entitles participants to National Vocational Qualification certification at levels IIII and V. This qualification, HEART explained, will translate to Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), which facilitates movement of skilled workers across the region.
The Renewable Energy Efficiency Technology programme is the first of its kind at HEART in terms of its focus on renewables. It is expected to expose students to various systems for harnessing energy from renewable sources, energy management and efficiency and energy conservation.
But why now?
As Fearon explained, the decision was driven by labour market intelligence and is in line with the country’s medium-term development goal to increase renewable energy use by 15 per cent by 2020.
“The programme offered by NTEI is expected to train and certify a competent workforce that will give significant support to the 2030 Vision imperatives while creating a sustainable workforce in renewable energy and efficiency,” she said.
The course is being offered as part of the Caricom Education for Employment programme, a joint initiative between the Association of Canadian Community Colleges and the Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies. It is funded by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, formally known as the Canadian International Development Agency.