Nassau, The Bahamas – The month of February has been designated ‘Career & Technical Education (CTE) Month.’
The announcement was made on Friday, February 4 at the Ministry of Education. The Minister of Education, the Hon. Desmond Bannister said that the event would be observed in all public high schools.
“We in education share the desire of the nation to see our country develop and flourish economically and to remain competitive globally,” said Mr. Bannister.
“In examining the needs of our country, we have come to realise that if we are to progress to the next level, there is a dire need for us to focus on areas of career and technical education and entrepreneurship.”
He said that to this end, the Ministry of Education has a pivotal role to play in meeting the needs of the country. Mr. Bannister said that this could only be ‘effectively’ done through the training of the youths of the nation.
“In this way, we could develop a competent, skilled and competitive labour force to sustain the needs of our county.”
He said that several initiatives have been put in place for students who may wish to pursue careers in the technical fields, including an award for the most outstanding school in Career and Technical Education (CTE) at the BJC and BGCSE levels in addition to recognition of the most outstanding CTE department.
In addition, said the Minister, the Ministry of Education is ‘committed’ to establishing a Career Academy with the objective of preparing students for employment and continuing education at the tertiary level.
The month-long event will focus attention on careers and education in the technical fields and will feature a cross-section of activities including a job symposium, subject awards presentation and the National Exhibition which will be held in March at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.
By Betty Vedrine
Bahamas Information Services
