Sun | Feb 8, 2026

Letter of the Day | Is the HEART Trust working effectively?

Published:Saturday | July 16, 2022 | 12:08 AM
Richard Gordon, (left) project manager JPS EV Charging Infrastructure looks one of the electric car with trainee Jeffery McCoon at the presentation of certificates to the graduates of the first cohort of the JPS Foundation’s edrive train the trainer prog
Rudolph Brown
Richard Gordon, (left) project manager JPS EV Charging Infrastructure looks one of the electric car with trainee Jeffery McCoon at the presentation of certificates to the graduates of the first cohort of the JPS Foundation’s edrive train the trainer programme.

THE EDITOR, Madam:

In recent times HEART/NSTA Trust has been labelled “troubled”, and now the disclosure that enrolment has declined by approximately 30 per cent suggests that there is need for concern.

I strongly believe that HEART/NSTA Trust is still one of the answers to Jamaica workforce solution. I must admit that the comments on the social media posts related to HEART/NSTA Trust suggest that there is a disconnect with the public and the agency. However, there are many Jamaicans like myself who have seen the positive effects. We can not just sit back and allow the legacy of Edward Seaga to fade and become just institutions with people clad in colourful shirts. It can not be that we will falter on his initiative to utilise skill training as a means of development. Let us light a candle and find our way back home.

It can not be that trainees are getting assessments years after completing a cluster. Let us remove the social media razzle dazzle for a moment and face the realities. If a programme is projected to last nine months how does it become two years? What are we saying to the trainees? Shouldn’t all clusters that the trainees have completed and request for assessments be sent off at least be analysed and a paper set within a month for them to complete their assessments. The contracted assessors are already aware of the units for all courses. These do not change.

Let us respect the people we are training to be professionals and at least think of the taxpayer’s contribution. It’s a team effort.

I must commend the agency for attempting the e-certificate drive in recent times, that’s a step into the right direction. The fact is though, trainees’ certificates should be printed upon their completion of the programmes and sent to the different locations, it cannot be that the certificate is ready years later so now they need to download it. I hear the argument that the hard copies are sometimes not collected, but be reasonable. Do you expect adults to sit around waiting on a certificate for two years? Remember not all opportunities will accept a status letter. Past students are often the best ambassadors. Are we still surprised that the enrolment numbers are declining?

Where is the connection between the agency and job opportunities? We will not focus on the fact that the agency has over 13 regional offices, 80 community training interventions sites and 28 HEART institutions, but decided to host 10,000 people at their head office. But a spectacle gets the blood pumping I guess. How about boosting the voluntary programmes? The teachers could surely use some assistance in the classrooms and the practical nurses I am sure would be welcome in the hospitals and clinics.

I am pleading with the relevant authority sing a Sankey and let us find our way back home. We need a robust and effective training agency.

KALEHIA JOHNSON

kalehiajohnson@gmail.com