Shake-up needed at HEART

The EDITOR, Madam:

The HEART/NSTA Trust is in urgent need of a shake-up and a reset of teaching practices to match 21st-century goals.

In June last year, the Prime Minister said the country’s largest training institution was being repositioned to meet the demands of the workforce. Has that commenced?

I heard several business leaders express concern, just recently on a television programme, that the country is in urgent need of skilled workers, and the prospect of importing such labour should be explored.

The Government spends billions on HEART/NSTA Trust annually, so it cannot be that the entity is failing to supply the needs of the job market.

As someone who often recommends persons to the agency, their concern and frustration, in most cases, is for the duration of courses.

For example, most Level II certificates run for up to 12 months. But reports from students are that the courses stretch up to 18 months due to absent instructors, delays in external examinations, among other things.

If we are to match the demand of labour, a Level II course cannot, in 2023, run to 12 months. Three to four months should be ample time to cover what is necessary.

Some at the agency may scoff at that idea, but our demands are great. So, efficiency and speed must be key. Administrators of the agency should be reminded by those in authority that it is a TRAINING institution and not a university.

Many of the courses, too, are archaic and delve into content unrelated to the specific areas of training. Check the business courses and other technical subjects.

HEART/NSTA Trust must also create more short six-week online courses, to meet the demand of the working population who are interested in upgrading their skills, similar to websites such as LinkedIn, Alison.com and Coursera.

I repeat: HEART needs to be efficient in its training of labour. Jamaica urgently requires it to do so. If it can’t, the Government must create a new entity that can.

AKUBIYA FAYAIEPA