THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES ST. AUGUSTINE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, WEST INDIES

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1 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES ST. AUGUSTINE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, WEST INDIES OFFICE OF THE CAMPUS PRINCIPAL Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Clement Sankat, BSc (UWI), MSc (UWI), PhD (Guelph), FIAgrE, CEng, FAPETT Welcome Remarks by the Campus Principal Launch of Masters of Arts in Leadership in Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Workforce Development Office of the Campus Principal, UWI St. Augustine Campus Friday 1 st March, :00 a.m. Salutations Thank you Madam Chair, Head of the School of Education, Dr. Susan Herbert Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, Senator the Honourable Fazal Karim Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education, Professor Funso Aiyejina Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, Professor June George Heads and Staff Members of Agencies under the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training - NTA, NESC, MIC & YTEPP Colleagues of the UWI St. Augustine Campus Students of the Masters in Technical and Vocational Education and Training Specially Invited Guests Members of the Media Ladies and Gentlemen ****** 1

2 Good morning! It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies, on this special occasion as we launch the Masters of Arts in Leadership in Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Workforce Development! I wish to give a special welcome to the Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training (TEST), Senator the Honourable Fazal Karim. He is of course, no stranger to our Campus, and it is always a pleasure to welcome him back home. Thank you Minister for joining us this morning for the launch of this programme, one of which you have been so central to. Let me also give a warm welcome to our partners from the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector. Agencies that have always supported the work of our Campus such as the National Training Agency (NTA), the National Energy Skills Centre (NESC), the Metal Industries Company (MIC), and the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme (YTEPP) etc. Thank you for coming this is how we should continue to work supporting, reinforcing and networking with each other. 2

3 Distinguished guests, this is indeed a very proud moment, not only for us here at the UWI St. Augustine Campus, but more so, for the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region. As new occupations and jobs continue to emerge and new vocations continue to develop alongside traditional professions, this programme will provide many people in our country and region with the opportunity to further their education in a very meaningful and productive sector. A sector which has for some time, been challenged with a lack of qualified administrators and instructors as identified by the Policy on Tertiary Education, Technical Vocational Education and Training, and Lifelong Education in Trinidad and Tobago. I am therefore pleased that the UWI St. Augustine Campus continues to respond to the needs of our society by developing this Masters of Arts in Leadership in Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Workforce Development. This is something that I have spoken about, and supported for years! The need for technical and vocational education and training at the graduate level. It is at this level we will be able to produce leaders with the core competencies to design, develop and manage TVET and workforce-related programmes to respond to the changes in the world of work. This is where the UWI can take the lead. I therefore would like to commend my colleagues, Dr. Susan Herbert 3

4 and Professor June George and their teams for the conceptualization and development of this new programme. I also wish to thank the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education, Professor Funso Aiyejina for his support of this initiative. I am pleased to see how the Faculty of Humanities and Education is developing its programmes to meet the demands of society! The UWI (as a full service university) must continue to produce a differentiated output all of our students do not have the same competencies. We must produce graduates with relevant skills, knowledge and competencies in a wide range of areas that can take our nation and region forward. And this Masters of Arts in TVET and Workforce Development will produce graduates who are prepared to meet the technical and vocational needs of public and private sector industrial organizations and training institutions. Let me also take this opportunity to say a few words to the first cohort of students. To all of you, our first cohort in this new MA in Leadership in TVET programme, I warmly welcome you. You are now part of a pioneering initiative! As you formally enter this programme at the UWI St. Augustine Campus, I would therefore like you to see this opportunity as we do an 4

5 opportunity to prepare leaders to shape Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region. I note that you have come from all areas in Trinidad from the East, South, Central and the West. Unfortunately, I did not see Tobago, but we must correct this! I am pleased the UWI can serve all of you. But what was most pleasing was to peruse your prior training and areas of employment. I have noted several of you with strong technical backgrounds John D., San Fernando Technical Institute, TTHTI, UTT and UWI. I noted one of our graduates from the B. Tech. programme in electrical engineering! I noted several with first degrees in education. Many of you are teaching/administrators in technical/vocational programmes in our secondary schools and tertiary level institutions MIC, NESC, YTEPP and many with first degrees in education. Some of you I note practice in areas of hospitality and beauty etc. Let me say, as someone from a technical background how pleased I am with this cohort, men and women with the right academic preparation and very relevant technical/industrial experience, to become true leaders in the TVET 5

6 sector. We at the UWI will work to make your dreams come true, by giving you an exceptional education and experience. In this context, you all have a great responsibility to help build our country of Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region through the knowledge, skills and abilities you will acquire from this master s programme. We are counting on you to help design, develop and manage Technical and Vocational Education and Training and workforce-related programmes. I should also mention that this Masters of Arts in Leadership in TVET and Workforce Development must also be seen as powerful tool to build a culture of entrepreneurship among our TVET students. This is because many persons engaged in TVET are already self-employed or own small businesses. This programme will allow them to think independently, creatively and innovatively. It will cause them to explore new ways of doing things and developing ideas for new products and services. Thus, this can also lead to the growth of our service industry and the creation of new jobs. Let us not forget that building a culture of entrepreneurship is extremely important as we work towards diversifying our economy. I count on you as leaders and teachers to inculcate the spirit of 6

7 innovation, creativity, craftsmanship and aesthetics, all in a spirit of entrepreneurship for our country s future growth and development. To all who have contributed to the development of this programme, I say thank you. The genesis of this began over two years ago at a meeting convened by the Honourable Minister, Fazal Karim at the NTA headquarters. We were examining how we can help to develop and propel technical and vocational education. As Campus Principal, I immediately said that the UWI will help to develop the trainers in this programme, through our School of Education. We have made this a reality! Professor June George whom I selected to lead this has delivered, with the support of the Head of Department, Dr. Susan Herbert and Dean Professor Funso Aiyejina. I also called upon Mr. Cipriani Davis, a former CEO of MIC and very experienced in technical and vocational training. We solicited the support of Mona Campus and they did not fail us and that is the power and potential of this regional University of the West Indies. I also note a very competent, able and experienced team of instructors for this programme we could not have done much better in such a short time frame. And finally, we got the strong support of the Honourable Minister, Fazal Karim, including his vision, leadership and financial support. 7

8 This therefore shows the power of setting one s goals, putting an able team together with a strong leader, resourcing and supporting it, and unleashing its capacity. I am proud of my team at the UWI! With those few words, I thank everyone for coming out this morning (my colleagues, students and our partners from public and private organizations). I think this programme opens up great possibilities for our Campus, for the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, and for our industries. Let us continue to work together to ensure that this programme is not only successful, but that it leads to similar programmes that will prepare our graduates for the world of work and to become productive citizens. As Campus Principal, I assure you that we at the regional UWI will continue to develop new programmes to anticipate and respond to the changing demands of the labour market, as industry needs continue to evolve. Our programmes, our teachers, our students of today will shape the future of our country and region tomorrow! Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you. 8