The Tribune

A team of officials from the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) visited the Orlando campuses of Valencia College as they prepare to rebuild their facilities following Hurricane Dorian.

The visit focused on learning how to build and equip new facilities aimed at training a strong technical workforce in The Bahamas. BTVI’s Abaco centre was demolished by Hurricane Dorian, while the Freeport campus was also extensively damaged.

With funding from the Caribbean Development Bank and the Government, BTVI officials are planning to rebuild both campuses and develop training programmes so they can prepare the Bahamian workforce to meet the demand for skilled workers who can, in turn, help rebuild the islands’ facilities.

The fact-finding mission, which took place from November 18-19, resulted from recent conversations between Valencia College and BTVI officials, following a visit by the former to The Bahamas in October.

Dr Robert W. Robertson, BTVI’s president, said: “We wanted to see the college’s physical premises, and visit with administration and staff at a best-in-class community college. What we experienced was a very useful visit. The workshops and presentations throughout the two-day visit will assist us as we recover from Hurricane Dorian. We are exploring a variety of collaborations, including faculty and staff exchanges, study abroad and ‘two plus two initiatives.”

During the tour, BTVI officials also visited Valencia’s advanced manufacturing training centre, where the college offers short-term training programmes in areas such as electronic-board assembly, welding and industrial maintenance technology.

The Bahamian team also travelled to the college’s Osceola Campus in Kissimmee to tour the construction lab, see the facilities used to train students in carpentry and masonry, and test-drive simulators where students learn how to operate heavy construction equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes and articulated trucks.

Lisa Eli, Valencia College’s assistant vice-president for global and continuing education, said: “Valencia College and BTVI are like-minded institutions with a mission to serve our communities and transform lives through education. This visit provided us with a wonderful opportunity to learn more about each other’s institutions and discuss how we can further develop opportunities for teaching and learning.”

BTVI officials also visited Valencia College’s east campus, where they learned more about the software degree program, toured information technology laboratories and examined the new state-of-the-art sound and music recording equipment.

They also took a tour of Valencia’s new Walt Disney World School for culinary arts and hospitality, which is located at the new campus in downtown Orlando. While they visited Orlando to learn best practices in layout and design of these types of spaces, BTVI officials also met with faculty and staff to discuss a proposed ‘two plus two’ transfer agreement, and exchange ideas and information regarding IT, accelerated skills training and faculty development.