Three HEART courses go online in CARICOM initiative

The HEART/NSTA Trust has digitised three level two courses under a CARICOM-led pilot to standardise technical and vocational education and training (TVET) across member states.

Jamaica, alongside Grenada, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, took part in the initiative. The programmes, uploaded to the agency’s Moodle platform, have been available for delivery since May 18 across designated HEART/NSTA Trust institutions.

They include 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. 

By March 2027, the agency plans to digitise at least 10 additional programmes.

Speaking at the closing summit of the CARICOM TVET Digitalisation Project last week at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, the HEART Trust’s managing director, Dr Taneisha Ingleton, underscored the urgency of the effort.

“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 added that the initiative broadens access through asynchronous delivery, enhancing certification while improving flexibility, participation, completion rates and regional reach, as well as supporting self-paced learning.

Rayharna Wright, vice-chair of HEART’s board, welcomed the shift, noting that digital delivery would extend the system’s reach.

“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, credited the project’s progress to collaboration among regional partners.

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

Funding for the pilot was provided by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), the German development agency.