Government moves to align education with future job skills

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon says the Government is moving to better align Jamaica’s education and skills-training systems with the changing needs of the economy, while urging the private sector to play a greater role in preparing students for the jobs of the future. Speaking at a Digital and Skills Roundtable hosted by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and I Am the Code Caribbean at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Monday, Morris Dixon said nearly 40 per cent of the skills required in jobs are expected to change by 2030, making it necessary for the education system to become more responsive to industry needs. “The policy mission of the administration is to build a skills system that is connected directly to economic opportunity,” she said, adding that there is currently a disconnect between the industry and the education system that needs to be addressed. Morris Dixon said the Ministry of Education must work more closely with businesses to determine which occupations are becoming difficult to fill, what technologies companies are adopting and what competencies they expect from new employees. “What skills do you anticipate needing three or five years from now? You have to tell me that so that we can change what we're doing in the education system, especially at high school level, so that we can meet your needs,” she said. She said the Government is also seeking to strengthen the connection between education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), tertiary education, employment and lifelong learning. As part of that push, Morris Dixon announced a $400-million allocation, in partnership with HEART, to upgrade the laboratories at Jamaica’s 15 technical high schools. The upgrades will include specialised facilities such as robotics, renewable energy, virtual welding, electrical engineering, industrial controls, mechatronics and digital construction labs. Morris Dixon urged private-sector companies to partner with the schools by providing expertise, mentoring students and helping to create a pipeline of skilled workers. She pointed to a model she observed during a recent visit to the United Kingdom, where private companies sponsor training labs, mentor students and work closely with institutions to ensure programmes meet industry requirements. The minister also said the Government intends to amend the HEART NSTA Trust Act to allow HEART to intervene with students before age 17. She said the change is necessary to provide support to young people who leave secondary school without CSEC qualifications. “My dream is that every student is able to leave; if you don't leave with CSEC, you leave with a HEART certification,” Morris Dixon said. The minister also noted that incoming first-form students are showing stronger academic preparation, with principals reporting that the quality of students entering high school has improved. She said some students at top-performing schools are now able to pass CXC subjects as early as second form after completing the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), adding that the improvement must be sustained. Morris Dixon defended the emphasis on critical thinking in PEP, saying the examination is deliberately designed to prepare students for a changing world of work. “The worker of the future has to have critical thinking skills,” she said, adding that the education system cannot prepare children for the world their parents entered because the demands are now different.