UTech launches book on vocational training

The University of Technology, Jamaica Press last month launched a book examining the country’s technical vocational education and training (TVET) system, tracing its evolution and impact on the economy.

The publication, Technical Vocational Education and Training in Jamaica: Achievements, Impact, and Challenges, edited by Professor Disraeli Hutton, Dr Hope Mayne and Professor Raymond Dixon, highlights TVET’s role in workforce readiness and economic growth. It also points to structural weaknesses that must be addressed to meet the demands of a technology-driven economy.

Speaking at the launch event, UTech President Dr Kevin Brown, chairman of the Press, drew on his own experience as a graduate of Herbert Morrison Technical High School.

“TVET and STEM have given me everything I have to date,” he said, noting that despite stigma historically attached to technical pathways, his education provided the foundation for a career in engineering. Brown praised the book for documenting TVET’s progress and pointed to UTech’s expanding partnership with HEART/NSTA Trust as proof of the value of combining theory with hands-on training.

Keynote speaker Professor Alwin Wint, Emeritus Professor of International Business at the University of the West Indies, framed TVET as central to Jamaica’s development prospects. He said small nations must navigate global risks through policy stability, strong governance, sustainable infrastructure and world-class education. Tracing TVET’s history from limited skilled labour after the 1933 hurricane to the success of HEART Trust/NSTA, Wint underscored the need to close the gap between education and labour-market demands.

“It is because of the importance of education and training to development prospects to countries such as Jamaica that the launch of the volume on technical vocational training in Jamaica is so important,” he said.

Tracing Jamaica’s TVET history from the limited skilled labour available after a devastating 1933 hurricane to the establishment and success of HEART Trust/NSTA, Wint underscored the need to address the long-standing disconnect between education and labour-market demands.

He emphasised the importance of expanding technical high schools and highlighted the foundational role of HEART Trust/NSTA, stating, “The heart of Jamaica’s TVET ecosystem is undoubtedly the human employment and resource training institution.”

Reviewers Professor Shermaine Barrett, UTech Deputy President and Provost, and Professor Canute Thompson, UWI Pro Vice Chancellor, commended the editors. Barrett said the book offers “a holistic and evidence-based understanding of how TVET and industry intersect to shape Jamaica’s economic trajectory.” Thompson added that “TVET is life … this book is central to the understanding we need to promote about the future of our societies.”